Reach for the Skies
by BANIX
Summary: To protect the delicate peace between human and pokemon, that is my job. To fly free and unhindered in the skies, that is my dream. I am a Ranger of the 1st Ranger Regiment of the Johto Ranger Force, and you can be damn sure that I am good in my job. (Reincarnated OC)
1. Chapter 1- Skye Bale

_"Emergence of stampeding tauros herd approaching Route 42! All available Rangers to your station! I repeat! Emergence of stampeding tauros herd approaching Route 42! All-"_

The work of a Pokemon Ranger is not an easy one.

"This is Staff Sergeant Skye Bale! Requesting permission to take off immediately!"

"This is Major Ricky. Permission granted, Staff Sergeant! Do what you can to buy us time until reinforcements arrive!"

"I'm on it, Sir!" I replied with an affirmative through the radio as I quickly put on my flying helmet and goggles and hopped on to Tino's large scaly back. Usually I would ride on Crown instead, but time is of the essence here and Tino is undoubtedly the fastest flyer on my team.

"Let's go, Tino!"

The dragonite that I am riding on gave a loud bellow as she started to flap her wings. With a push off the ground using her hind legs, she shot off into the air.

We have to prevent the herd of wild tauros from approaching Route 42. Route 42 is the only route linking Ecruteak City and Mahogany Town, there is constant heavy traffic on that route because of this. Sure, there might be trainers there who might be able to do something to fend off a herd of stubborn and rampaging tauros, but we cannot leave anything up to chance.

Within two minutes, Tino and I are already overhead Route 42. The rest of the Rangers will probably arrive a few minutes later. I had always been one of the fastest Rangers to arrive to any scene thanks to the fact that I am a trainer that specialises in flying type pokemon. Being swift is my specialty.

"Come on out, guys! Search for the herd of rampaging tauros!"

Crown, Glide, Dia, Beats, Cotton, Echo appeared as I released them from their pokeballs. These are the members of my team.

"Zephyr!" I heard my codename being barked out through the radio. "Do you have visual yet?"

"Working on it!" I replied back to the comms as my eyes scanned the ground below. How hard can it be to spot a herd of tauros that lost control?

Crown squawked out a cry. He spotted it.

"Go!"

With my command, Crown took the lead in leading us as we flew at high speeds down from the clouds. I can hear some of the citizens commenting on our flight as we flew lower, but I don't have time for them right now.

There they are.

"Command, do you copy? This is Zephyr! I have visual! Spotted tauros herd, estimated number is at about 50! They are charging straight right for Route 42 in the section right between Ecruteak City and Mt Mortar! Requesting permission to engage!"

"This is Command. Don't engage unless absolutely necessary! The rest of the squad are right behind! ETA is two minutes!"

"No time! The herd is approaching the main road anytime now! I'm going in!"

On my signal, my entire team did a sharp nosedive towards the ground. The road running across Route 42 is heavily populated today and to make it worse, I can see a _school bus_ driving up here soon. They probably haven't spotted the tauros herd yet.

"Tino, Hyper Beam!"

Tino immediately fired a Hyper Beam that landed close to the front of the tauros herd, forcing them to take a turn and hopefully, this is enough to turn them away from the main road.

Unfortunately, the tauros herd is hell-bent on charging ahead for reasons unknown. Plan B then.

"Hurricane!"

Crown, Tino, and Echo unleashed a massive Hurricane that blew through the herd, sweeping up some of the lighter tauros up into the swirling vortex of air. I don't want to do this if necessary, but the herd of tauros is really getting too close to the main road for comfort.

"Glide, trap them in! Stone Edge! Cotton! Sleep Powder!"

My gliscor erected walls of rock from the ground to block the remaining herd from charging ahead to the main road while my jumpluff floated overhead and scattered pollens of Sleep Powder around into the air. The rest of us flew high above the cloud of Sleep Powder to avoid inhaling it.

Meanwhile, Beats, my crobat, and Echo, my noivern, had already managed to stop another group of tauros among the herd from rampaging using Supersonic. Good. I know I can count on them.

Crown screeched out a cry, warning me of a tauros that had broken away from the herd and is still charging ahead towards Route 42. Why this species of pokemon is so stubborn and bull-headed in doing something stupid like this is still beyond the understanding of Pokemon Researchers worldwide, but I have to stop this tauros.

It is heading right for the closest moving object it could see, the approaching school bus. Why is the school bus still headed here?! Wasn't the massive _Hurricane _a big enough sign that there is something absolutely wrong ahead?!

"Dia!"

My skarmory dove right after the tauros, flying low and keeping itself parallel with that tauros. Whoever is driving the school bus must have finally spotted the rampaging tauros, seeing as how the bus is now trying to swerve itself out of the way.

It won't make it in time unless we do something about it.

"Steel Wing!"

A mid-air twist helped Dia to change direction abruptly and to slam her massive sturdy wing at the tauros's side, knocking it away from the school bus at the last second and preventing a tragedy from happening.

That was way too close.

"That was sooo coooooool!"

"Hell yeah, big sis! You just saved our lives!"

"I want to be a Ranger too when I grow up!"

I waved a hand at the children on the bus to tell them that everything is alright now because I had it settled. I'm too tired to even speak, that tauros was _so **close**_ from ramming itself into the school bus. The only thing I could manage now is to heave a sigh of relief and try to soothe my nerves. If Dia were a little slower or reacted a second later, the bus and the occupants would have been toast.

The bus had come to a stop. Glide had also used rock type techniques to temporarily block off the road until further reinforcements from the Rangers arrive to help clean up the scene. I don't need a repeat of the school bus incident earlier.

"Are you even listening to the radio?" I snarked at the bus driver the moment Tino landed on the ground. "Pretty sure we were broadcasting an emergency warning. Everyone on the bus could have died!"

"S-Sorry! But the radio on the bus had broken down this morning and I was thinking of fixing it later-"

Whatever that bus driver wanted to say was cut off when my own radio crackled to life.

"Zephyr, come in! This is Command, do you copy?"

"This is Zephyr. Situation has been resolved for now. Requesting additional reinforcement to help clean up the mess."

Broadly speaking, a Ranger's job is to help protect the Pokemon World from threats. Rangers sometimes collaborate with the Police Force of their region or sometimes even with their own military forces if needed. The day-to-day job of a Ranger includes, and is not limited to, doing things such as containing wildfires, stop wild pokemon feuds or events that might harm the ecosystem or endanger nearby settlements, stopping and arresting poachers, etc etc.

Above all, the job of a Ranger is to save and protect lives, to maintain the delicate balance between human and pokemon.

"Have a safe trip back! And remember to fix your radio ASAP!"

I waved the bus of children goodbye after the rest of the Rangers on standby finally arrived. A Ranger among us who is also the field medic had given a quick check to ensure that no one was hurt before giving us a green light that they are safe to go.

"Not bad, Zephyr. Stopping fifty plus tauros by yourself, that is a new record."

"What can I say? I'm fabulous like that. Right, Tino?" I did an exaggerated hair sweep motion as we work alongside our pokemon in moving the unconscious herd of tauros back to wherever they came from. Some of the tauros had already begun to regain consciousness and is slowly lumbering back to the wilderness by themselves.

Tino let out a low rumble from her throat in agreement.

I also pretended that I didn't see the eye rolls that the rest of my Ranger friends did.

* * *

"That marks your 300th mission, Staff Sergeant." Major Ricky stated as he looked through the documents on his desk before raising his head to look at the Ranger standing in front of his desk at attention. One of the damn best Rangers he ever had the chance to lead.

"Really? I didn't keep count, Sir."

No one would ever believe if he told them that one of his best Rangers is only sixteen this year. With her flying types, Skye had saved many lives humans and pokemon alike in places and occasions where no one had managed to reach in time. Speed is in her blood, and each of her pokemon are speed demons in the skies as long as they have the chance to spread their wings.

Skye is the best flier they have, period. Possibly also the best flier in the entire Johto Ranger Force. Pity that he might have to give her up soon. She's too good to be confined to a small place like this.

Skye is someone who can fly even higher if given the chance to go beyond the 9th Regiment.

"Skye, if I offer you the chance to transfer to the 1st Ranger Regiment, do you want to go there?"

Major Ricky voiced his question slowly and clearly. This is a huge opportunity for Skye. The 1st Regiment in the Ranger forces only accept the elites among the elites. It is a place where only the aces of the Rangers are gathered. They take on any and all types of missions because they are expected to be able to handle themselves in any situation.

Skye can do well in such an environment. Ricky is sure of it.

"M-Me?" Skye pointed a shaky finger at herself. "I-I'm not even the best battler around!"

"Being a capable Ranger is more than just doing well in pokemon battles, Skye." Ricky emphasised as he leaned back in his seat and crossed his fingers. "Being a Ranger means being able to adapt to any and all types of situations, to be able to protect the delicate peace between humans and pokemon no matter what it takes. You have these qualities in spades, which is why I am recommending a transfer to a place where you can fully stretch your wings and fly higher."

Ricky pushed forward the form for transfer together with a pen across the table to Skye.

"If you agree, then all I need is your signature that marks your approval. I'm not going to lie, Skye. Being a member of the 1st Regiment is not easy. Their work is tough. In the 9th Regiment, we specialise in Ground and Mountain Search and Rescue Operations. There's no such thing as specialisation in the 1st Regiment. As a member of the 1st Regiment, you are expected to be good at _everything_ and be better than even that. Keep that in mind before you sign the form."

"I accept."

The quickness of her response and the determination in Skye's voice got even him to be taken aback in surprise, but that expression melted to one of pride a mere second later.

He had raised a fine Ranger in this one.

"Give them hell, Staff Sergeant."

* * *

Unlike the 9th Regiment which is based near Ecruteak where Ground and Mountain Search and Rescue operations are more likely to happen in Johto, the 1st Regiment of the Johto Ranger Force is located near Violet City, which is the middle of the Johto region. The 1st Regiment handles the most difficult of missions that brings them everywhere and anywhere, so locating themselves in the middle of the region helps them to travel easier. It makes sense.

So, here I am, standing right at the entrance of the Ranger camp that is the home to the 1st Regiment.

The situation between Johto and Kanto is complicated. We are two different regions, yet we are under one single government. Collectively, we refer ourselves as the Indigo, but again we are two separate entities and most of us distinguish ourselves by which region we hail from. People often say that they are either a Kantonian or a Johtonian rather than saying that they are a citizen of Indigo.

Both of our regions have a lot of shared history due to our regions' close proximity with each other. We were first collectively united under a single flag about 500 years ago by the first Indigo Champion. However, the fact is that the whole of Indigo is too large to be effectively ruled and there are constant conflicts between both regions. It's just a matter of how big or small the conflicts are.

The way Johtonians and Kantonians distinguish themselves can be easily seen even from the organisational structure of their forces. Officially, I may be a member of the Indigo Ranger Force, posted to the Johto Region, but people with the same vocation as me refer to ourselves as members of the Johto Ranger Force instead. There really isn't an 'Indigo' within the organisation, just either 'Kanto' or 'Johto'.

Such distinctiveness is toxic, in my opinion, but who am I to say anything?

The 1st Regiment is the smallest regiment when it comes to the number of Rangers that made up the regiment, but that is because the 1st Regiment are notoriously picky when it comes to who they accept into their ranks. Being a member of the 1st Regiment is like being a commando if I have to use a comparison to something I remember from my past life.

Oh yeah, reincarnated soul here, would just like a chance to point it out before I continue my rant.

Moving on.

In any case, a Ranger from the 1st Regiment in both the Johto Ranger Force and Kanto Ranger Force are given a higher status than the regular Ranger. For one, we are the only ones allowed to wear the obnoxiously obvious custom-made tabs on our Ranger jackets that explicitly have the words '1st REGIMENT' sewn on it that every member of the 1st Regiment wear with pride, like a badge of honour. Secondly, we get to use all the expensive state-of-the-art equipment that the normal Ranger might not even get to come across in their entire career. Thirdly, the food here is _good_.

The last one is the most important one, of course. Food is important.

Historically, the 1st Regiment maintains a strength of about 20 to 30 Rangers, which is less than 2% of their total Ranger force in the Johto region and further emphasising how hard it is to make the cut to be a part of the 1st Regiment. There are five different squadrons in Johto's 1st Regiment, namely Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, and Black.

I am posted to Black squadron, which some people in the forces had nicknamed as the _oh-shit-squadron_ simply because they had the unfortunate luck of somehow getting constantly assigned to the worst kind of missions even by the standards of the 1st Regiment.

Lucky me.

Hope you noticed my sarcasm there.

With Cotton beside me, I opened the doors to the meeting room which I was told to report to after I had put down my stuff in my designated bunk. Another perk of being a member of the 1st Regiment is that you get to have a room of your own instead of bunking in a shared room with other people.

"Oh, you must be the new guy. HEY GUYS! THE NEWBIE IS HERE!"

A girl around my age with a bob haircut shouted out towards the back of the room the moment I entered. Seconds later, more heads popped out from other places in the briefing room.

"Eh, she sure doesn't look like much with that cutesy jumpluff."

"Be nice, Adam."

"What? We don't need weaklings who cannot hold their own in the 1st, especially not _here_ in the Black squadron. We are the best of the fucking best, and we got _this _as Liz's replacement? At least Liz was a badass!"

Oh great, first day here and the hazing process has begun. Typical testosterone influenced behaviour.

"Ignore Adam, he's always like this. Name's Jacky Marsh, what's yours?"

A tall guy with softer facial features walked up to shake hands with me and I returned the gesture. A toxicroak by his side gave an audible croak and proceeded to simply stare at me without even blinking, the sac on its throat inflating and deflating at a slow rhythm.

"The girl there which just called for us is Amy Rose." Jacky pointed with a finger as he began to introduce each of my future comrades in turn. "I believe you just met Adam, so I will skip him."

"Oi."

"Pipe down, Adam. Stop making a fool out of yourself. Stop acting like you are the alpha here when you aren't even one."

Another male of average height and dark purple hair drawled out from where he sat on a nearby couch. He stood up before walking over and extend a hand towards me.

"Name's Rufus Grandell, Water Specialist. By any chance, are we going on any kind of dates soon?"

"Stop trying to pick up girls, Rufus. No one but your momma likes your piss poor face!"

A chorus of '_ooohs'_ and '_aaahs'_ immediately filled the room.

"Damn. Burn Heal for our resident flirt here, anybody?"

"Aaaand that's all of us with the exception of our boss, who is now stuck in a meeting and can only join us later." Jacky completed the introduction, ignoring how the rest of the team is now squabbling among themselves. "Including you, we are only six men strong, but what we lack in numbers, we make up for it in quality."

"Yeah, so what can you bring to the table? Or are you just another pretty face?"

"Adam." Jacky said in a warning tone to the lanky and extremely unfriendly guy who had been trying to pick a fight ever since I entered the room.

"What? You want a go, goody-two-shoes?" Adam taunted, his houndoom that is by his side gave a quiet snarl the moment Adam opened his mouth.

"Fifty pokedollars that Adam will get his ass beat by Jacky again!" Amy raised an excited hand into the air, bouncing on her feet. The furret that was resting on the floor near her all this time raised its head a little upon hearing her voice. It's probably Amy's.

"Not even a question." Rufus snorted as he folded his arms across his chest, the floatzel behind him barked out in what I think is laughter.

"Why you-"

"Actually, what do you even specialise in?" Amy questioned as her face suddenly appeared inches away from mine, her wide curious eyes staring at me. She doesn't seem like the type to have any concept of personal space.

"Flying types."

There was a muted silence in the room as everyone's gaze went to Cotton, who is standing quietly beside me with her innocent eyes staring right back at them, before going back up to stare at me.

"Jumpluffs _are_ classified as flying types." I tried to explain upon seeing _those_ stares. I need to defend cute, innocent Cotton from those mean stares. No one hurts my Cotton.

"I mean, sure, they don't _fly_, but rather catch the wind and glide instead." I tried to explain further when nobody made a sound. " Still, they are flying types and they can be very useful out in the field with what they can do."

"Still doesn't sound or look all that strong to me." Adam blurted out, one of his eyes twitching in what I think is the manner in which he displays his annoyance. "Wait, how strong are you as a trainer? How did you fare in your Conference?"

"Finished fourth. That was quite some time back though, never did try another conference to see how far I've improved."

Rufus let out a low whistle.

"Well, that spoke volumes. Not many finished fourth in their first conference attempt."

"Better than Adam, at least." Amy teased.

"OI."

"I see that you guys have already acquainted yourselves with each other."

A drawl with the energy level of a dead magikarp sounded out from where the door is, and we all turned around to see who it was. My eyes widened upon recognising who the person is and I quickly stood at attention, which I noticed that the other Rangers in the room had also done upon seeing the person in question.

"At ease, Rangers."

Pyral Furnes, Commander of the 1st Regiment Black Squadron, visually assessed us with his bloodshot eyes and a perpetual slouch, a mug of steaming coffee in hand. When was the last time he even slept? Does he even comb his hair? The energy level this guy is emitting is not even zero, it's negative.

However, Pyral Furnes is well-known among the Rangers for being one of the best and strongest Rangers the Johto Ranger Force had ever produced. The typhlosion that is walking by his side exudes nothing but power even without igniting the flames on its back. It is the type of pokemon whose aura commands respect and obedience from those around it simply by strutting around, because it is just that strong.

"Staff Sergeant Skye Bale."

"Yes, Sir!" I replied in my soldier voice, trying not to let my unease show as my new commander scrutinised me with his eyes and narrowed them slightly.

"Wait, Bale?" Adam muttered. "Isn't that the same family name as-"

"Did I give you permission to speak, Adam?"

Lieutenant Colonel Furnes slowly turned his head to face Adam, who immediately stood straighter at attention, head held high.

"No, Sir."

My new boss gave a dramatic and long sigh as he put down his mug of coffee on the table.

"Look, I know not everyone can get used to Liz leaving the team. As humans, it's normal to put up resistance as our default reaction to any kind of change, but _deal with it_. You are members of the 1st Regiment, Black Squadron. You guys are the fucking best of the best. You guys are nominated to be part of the 1st Regiment by your previous vocation leaders for a damn good reason, so _act_ like it. Understood?"

"YES, SIR!"

Pyral Furnes then slowly turned to face me.

"Staff Sergeant Skye Bale, codename Zephyr, completed 300 missions since joining the Rangers, of which more than 70% consists of search and rescue operations. Flying Specialist. Excel at quick response. Earned Outstanding Ranger Award three times for three consecutive years in the 9th Regiment, earned Outstanding Airman Award two times for the past two years. Finished fourth in her first and only Conference. Quite a record, if I do say so myself."

"Thank you, Sir." I gulped, not knowing what else to respond with when my newest commander recited my entire history with the Rangers without even looking at anything. He _memorised_ my entire profile?!

"Don't thank me too early. You and Jacky, to the practice field now. Jacky, use your nidoking against our newest member, one-on-one."

"Ouch." Amy winced a little at the sound of that. "Isn't that a little harsh, boss?"

"If she can't handle herself against Jacky's nidoking, then she didn't earn her place here. Adam has a potty mouth, but he is right. You need to bring something to the table to be part of the 1st Regiment, something valuable that can help us deal with the kind of shit that we always ended up doing."

"So you _were _outside eavesdropping on us." Amy muttered, which totally went ignored by Commander Furnes.

"Jacky's nidoking is an absolute beast though." Rufus added.

"All the more reason to use it to test our newest addition with it. If she can hold her own, then maybe a certain dark and edgy can stop running his mouth all the damn time."

Everyone's heads turned to Adam in unison at the comment. I've only been here for less than ten minutes, and yet I already have a good inkling on what kind of person Adam is. Wow.

"Come on, move your asses." Pyral grumbled as he walked out of the room. "Hurry and finish this battle, then I can go catch up on my damn sleep."

* * *

**AN: Another pokemon fic that will tie into the world of IJWTTTW, TSOS, and OR. For my old fans, sorry if I kept you waiting. For the new readers, welcome to my world of pokemon. Hope you like what you read thus far.**

**Trying to come up with the premise for this fic was a nightmare because of my ambitious plan to have one story for each region (excluding Galar for now). I already had an idea of what each character from each region will be but I just got stuck at the Johto region, whose lore and backstory is considerably lacking compared to other regions. I took months, MONTHS trying to even come up with a decent _first_ chapter for the Johto region. **

**Because Johto is a region that is more involved in religion and culture, I had wanted to explore that part of the pokemon world. Initially the oc was supposed to be a middle-aged man who is a religious monk at Sprout Tower. Didn't work out so well beyond the first chapter. Then I tried the religious route again by writing about a priestess who is also Chuck's daughter. It was also a disaster. Why? Because I finally realised that I am a freaking atheist that doesn't believe in God. So I will always fail to write anything relating to pokemon religion because I can never understand what it feels like to be a believer. **

_(Inserts facepalm here)_

**After two months of failed attempts at writing a story for the Johto region and staring at blank screens in my free time, I decided to write a story about pokeball smiths cos that is something unique to Johto (Remember Kurt? Apricorn pokeballs?). Failed that too, and I pretty much ragequit and shoved this story into the freezer.**

**So somewhere in the middle of December, I decide to pick this story up again and try _again,_ doing everything from scratch _again. _This time, I tried a story about pokemon rangers since that wasn't really explored in the fanfics I read. Got my inspiration when I finally had the time to watch Captain America and the Winter Soldier to catch up on what I missed about the mcu verse cos I suddenly became a fan of it after watching Endgame. Then when Falcon's history as a para rescuer was introduced, I got the idea of having a Flying Specialist as a ranger. **

**My own personal rule as a writer is that for any story to be a decent story, I must be able to effortlessly write at least beyond the first three chapters. Since I think this story doesn't seem like it looks too bad after writing the first three chapters and it seemed like it could go a lot further, I decided to just go ahead with it. **

**Thus, Reach for the Skies is born. Ta da. **

**In any case, here's hoping that you guys will enjoy this story, because I'm really not sure how this will turn out. I'm really hoping that this story is at least passable.**

**Enjoy. **

**Character and pokemon list:**

**Name: Skye Bale, 16, Female**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 9****th**** Ranger Regiment, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Pidgeot (Crown), male**

**2\. ****Gliscor (Glide), male**

**3\. ****Skarmory (Dia), female**

**4\. ****Crobat (Beats), male**

**5\. ****Jumpluff (Cotton), female**

**6\. ****Dragonite (Tino), female**

**7\. ****Noivern (Echo), male**

**Name: Jacky Marsh, 19, Male**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Scolipede**

**2\. ****Crobat**

**3\. ****Tentacruel**

**4\. ****Nidoking**

**5\. ****Skuntank**

**6\. ****Venasaur**

**7\. ****Toxicroak**

**8\. ****Weezing**

**9\. ****Dragalge**

**10\. ****Beedrill**

**Name: Amy Rose, 17, Female**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Furret**

**2\. ****Pidgeot**

**3\. ****Lopunny**

**4\. ****Ursaring**

**5\. ****Wigglytuff**

**6\. ****Exploud**

**7\. ****Blissey**

**8\. ****Tauros**

**9\. ****Miltank**

**Name: Adam Clive, 20, Male**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Houndoom**

**2\. ****Honchkrow**

**3\. ****Umbreon**

**4\. ****Weavile**

**5\. ****Shiftry**

**6\. ****Sableye**

**7\. ****Greninja**

**8\. ****Hydreigon**

**9\. ****Pangoro**

**10\. ****Krookodile**

**Name: Rufus Grandell, 21, Male**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Poliwrath**

**2\. ****Kingdra**

**3\. ****Dewgong**

**4\. ****Gyarados **

**5\. ****Feraligatr**

**6\. ****Slowking **

**7\. ****Crawdaunt**

**8\. ****Floatzel**

**9\. ****Jellicent**

**10\. ****Golisopod**

**Name: Pyral Furnes, 38, Male**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Typhlosion**

**2\. ****Arcanine**

**3\. ****Charizard**

**4\. ****Magmortar**

**5\. ****Magcargo **

**6\. ****Alolan Marowak **

**7\. ****Torkoal**

**8\. ****Infernape**

**9\. ****Emboar**

**10\. ****Pyroar**

**11\. ****Chandelure **


	2. Chapter 2- 1st Regiment, Black Squadron

Jacky's nidoking is _massive_.

There is absolutely nothing in this world that can prepare me against the massive behemoth of a nidoking. Just one look at it is enough for me to pin it under the _'Do-not-engage-unless-absolutely-necessary'_ label in the confines of my mind. It's obvious that this nidoking is more than just simply powerful.

Still, I have to put up a show to solidify my standing here. I have to prove to them why I deserve a spot among the 1st Regiment. There's only one pokemon on my team that might have a chance against this monster. Only the powerhouse on my team will stand a chance.

"Go, Tino!"

My dragonite announced her appearance with a loud roar, immediately wary of the nidoking standing opposite her. Both pokemon began to growl and shift themselves menacingly, waiting for the start of the battle.

"Wow, a dragonite."

"I can tell, weirdo. We all have eyes."

"Shut up, Adam."

I saw Commander Pyral simply rolling his eyes and let out another long sigh, like he's so done with the people standing behind him.

Without further ado, he announced the start of the battle.

"Begin."

"Fly, and Safeguard!"

I'm not taking any chances with Jacky, who is obviously a Poison Specialist. If even the other members of the team who are fellow Rangers of the 1st Regiment themselves, claim Jacky's nidoking to be a monster, then I absolutely cannot allow Jacky the chance to poison Tino.

Nidoking had wasted no time in firing Ice Beams at Tino, who had immediately taken to the air while protecting herself with a veil of Safeguard. Tino effortlessly dodged the Ice Beams before retaliating with a massive Hurricane.

Jacky's nidoking simply stared at the Hurricane in a bored manner before responding with the largest Blizzard I had ever seen. The fierce winds of the Blizzard were just enough to quell the violent ones of the Hurricane, putting Tino's attack to a stop.

Alright then. If this is how Jacky is playing the game, then we keep our distance, then fire away like no tomorrow.

"Dragon Pulse! Keep at it!"

"Charge right in! Bring it down!"

Nidoking crouched down before doing a powerful leap into the air, charging right in towards the path of the Dragon Pulse Tino had fired. Nidoking let loose a blinding Thunder that engulfed the air in a humongous explosion big enough to shake the ground we are standing on.

To my surprise and horror, Jacky's nidoking actually managed to brave through the explosion and had managed to grab onto Tino.

This is bad.

"Smack down!"

A powerful downward swing of nidoking's arm hurled Tino back onto the ground. Tino roared in defiance as she used a Dragon Tail to force nidoking to back off before it can do any further damage, followed by using an Incinerate to create a huge wall of flames to deter the nidoking.

"Surf!"

Tino's flames was immediately extinguished by an equally huge wall of water. Nidoking came charging right back in with a Poison Jab which Tino greeted with a Dragon Claw. The two behemoths began to duke it out by exchanging of series of attacks with their claws, horns, and tails.

Tino is not weak by any means. She is a dragon, and her species is classified as a pseudo-legendary on top of it. She is easily strong enough to face off most pokemon from Elite level trainers and even then, she is steadily getting pushed back by Jacky's nidoking.

We cannot win by brute strength alone. Jacky's nidoking obviously had us beat in that department.

"Tino, Supersonic!"

Tino immediately let out a piercing screech that got nidoking to take a pause in its attacks. Tino used the opportunity to push the nidoking away with a Dragon Rush to quickly gain some distance before taking off into the air once more.

"Nidoking, Dig and then hunt it with Rock Slide!"

Nidoking burrowed into the ground without hesitation. In the next second, rocks rained from the skies and pelted down on Tino, who immediately went to dodge the rain of rocks with the aerial manoeuvres I taught her. Any rocks she couldn't dodge, she destroyed it with her claws.

Tino wouldn't be able to last at this rate. Ever since the start of the battle, she had been receiving more damage than what she can dish out. We need to quickly flush the nidoking out in one big AOE attack.

"Dragon Dance, then Aerial Earthquake!"

Tino acknowledged my commands with another roar, using a Dragon Dance to power up before sharply diving down with Aerial Ace, using the speed gained from the attack to further boost the damage of her Earthquake.

"Now! Grab the dragonite!"

The whole thing was a bait for Tino to get down? Shit!

"Tino, swing up!"

In an impressive display of skill, Tino managed to spread her wings and abruptly stopped in mid-air just as nidoking burst out from the ground, the tip of its horn sparkling with an Ice Beam that is about to be fired at any second. Tino barely managed to escape the attack with an Extreme Speed as she changed direction at an almost ninety degree angle and flew to her left, quickly gaining altitude.

"Nice one!" I heard someone from the side cheering out the moment they saw Tino's moves.

"Not bad! Keep going!"

"Hmph."

I cannot help but allow a smile on my face at the reactions from my other three comrades cheering on from the side. Pyral didn't comment nor was there any change to the expression on his face, but there was a faint twinkle in his eyes that wasn't there before.

Hopefully the aerial manoeuvres Tino did impressed them enough.

Tino had immediately returned fire with blasts of Dragon Pulse and had also used a Tailwind to further help her with her flight and speed in the air. Nidoking now adopts a more offensive approach by continuously raining rocks from above while spewing various ranged attacks from its mouth and horn from where it is on the ground, effectively sandwiching Tino.

"Blow it all away! Hurricane!"

The skies were immediately cleared with a bigger Hurricane that Tino had created with a single flap of her wings. Nidoking had leapt into the air once more, charging right in with a Giga Impact.

Two can play at that game. As long as Tino is in the air, her power is at her peak.

"Tino, Outrage!"

Tino roared her own challenge before covering herself in a shroud of draconic energy and flew to meet nidoking's charge head-on. Jacky and I quickly backpedalled to find some cover. The impact from the resulting clash might result in some collateral damage that might even harm ourselves if we are not careful. Our pokemon are just that strong.

Just right before Tino and nidoking could collide, a wheel of fire dashed towards the two before erupting in a massive Inferno. Even before I could make out just what is going on, both Tino and nidoking were sent flying backwards from where they came from and crashed back down onto the ground.

"Alright, break it up. Fight's over."

The slow clap of Pyral's hands grabbed our attention as everyone, our pokemon included, turned to him. Where the wheel of fire is burning stood Pyral's typhlosion, barely looking winded from punting both Jacky's and my powerhouse with a single strike. I only recognised the initial Flame Wheel followed by the Inferno. My eyes didn't manage to catch what that last attack was that sent our powerhouses flying away.

"Good job, Skye." Pyral spoke slowly in his zombie voice. "Those aerial manoeuvres were honestly impressive. Haven't seen such a good flier in years among the Rangers. I still don't think your dragonite could hold against Jacky's nidoking in the long run, but the fact that your dragonite could fight it on equal standing for that short while is good enough for me."

"Yeah, no kidding. Jacky's nidoking is impossible to beat one-on-one unless you are boss himself." Rufus chipped in with a big grin on his face. "Welcome to the club, Skye. Speaking of which, shall we go on a date?"

"Ignore him." Amy brushed Rufus off as she stood protectively in front of me, arms akimbo. "Rufus is only interested in getting into women's pants."

"_Excuse you_, can you stop slandering my name? I hold women with a lot of respect. I am just a gentleman who appreciates the charm and beauty of the fairer sex. I've always been a gentleman."

Tino throat rumbled as she lumbered back to my side. I raised a hand and patted her scaly hide, whispering my thanks to her. She's injured and bleeding slightly in several places, but nothing that she cannot walk off after a few hours of rest. I will still send her for a medical check-up after this though.

"Good job, girl."

Tino sang out a reply as her wings wriggled a little in joy. Her head turned to gaze at Jacky's nidoking, who is also now standing behind Jacky. Tino lowered her head slightly at nidoking, an indication of her respect towards the poisonous behemoth. Nidoking reciprocated the action.

"That was a great battle. We should have a full six-on-six battle some other time." Jacky commented with a smile on his face that equalled mine as we both shook hands once more.

"If your nidoking alone is this strong, you will probably annihilate me." I replied honestly. My team isn't really made up of heavy hitters even if they can all hold their own in Elite level battles. Tino and Echo are currently the only real heavy hitters on my team.

"First of all, you need to get more pokemon on your team." Pyral cut in blandly, his typhlosion giving a lazy yawn. "From the records, you only have seven pokemon on you currently, which might work well for you in the 9th, but trust me, you will need more if you plan to stay here in the 1st."

"What boss means is that in the 1st, we handle all and any types of missions thrown at us, not just search and rescue. Because of this, while your flying types are good for search and rescue and having only seven pokemon might have served you well in the 9th, but it won't be enough for other situations that we often face in the 1st." Rufus explained further while doing some vague hand gestures.

"All of us here have at least ten pokemon on our team for that reason, because we need at least this many to be able to do our jobs properly." Amy gave a casual shrug of her shoulders. "You should think of what other kinds of pokemon you want to pick out and add to your team before the week is over."

"I recommend picking pokemon from the League's pokemon reserve that are already somewhat trained, although you are free to train any pokemon of your own liking from scratch." Pyral added as he sipped on his cup of coffee. "However, you may not have the time to do something so time consuming, much less train a few of them, so the first option is still the recommended option."

"Make sure to not pick pokemon just for their battle strength. We are Rangers, not the STAR forces. We focus on saving lives, not fighting criminals even if we sometimes do that. Sometimes having pokemon that provides more utility may be a better option instead." Jacky said joyfully.

"You might need one that can help you to fight in cramped places. Flying types tend to not do well in enclosed spaces, so pick one that can do the job." Adam spoke in grumpy manner, finally breaking his long period of silence.

"Glad to finally have you join us, Mr Dark and Edgy." Pyral drawled at Adam before turning around and walk towards the exit. "That is all, you guys are dismissed. We have the next two weeks easy, that is, if no emergency pops up. Use this time wisely, Skye."

"Team dinner!" Amy exclaimed with her hands up in the air the moment Pyral disappeared into thin air.

"After Skye and I got our pokemon treated." Jacky insisted as he recalled his nidoking back into its pokeball.

"Hey, how about a quick trip to Mahogany to try out that place we always wanted to try out? You know, the one we were talking about a week ago?" Rufus suggested with enthusiasm.

"Whatever." Adam said with a slouch as though his life had been sucked out of him.

"Sounds good!" Jacky laughed out before turning back to me. "What do you say, Skye?"

"Sure, let's go." I smiled back at Jacky.

It seems that we are off to a great start after all.

* * *

"So that was the real reason behind the Olivine incident a few months back?"

"Surprised?" Rufus did a dramatic gesture of opening his arms out like he had just showed everyone the truth of the universe. "That a fight between wild granbulls for the perfect mate somehow ended up nearly ruining the city?"

"There was this other time where we assisted the STAR forces in apprehending some Rockets. Some bastard Rocket thought it would be a good idea to release his entire cargo of illegally caught magcargos in Ilex forest. We had a field day in putting out the fire for that one." Jacky laughed as he downed another glass of alcohol.

"You mean **_I_** had a field day with that one." Rufus retorted. "I'm the Water Specialist here."

"I remembered that incident being reported on the news." I nodded as I sipped on my own drink in the bar we are at. To my dismay, my beverage is non-alcoholic. I'm still not yet old enough to drink in the eyes of the law. At least Amy is in the same plight as me, so we are not alone.

"So, what's the most ridiculous shit you've been through back in the 9th?" Adam asked, surprisingly polite when he's drunk. Isn't it supposed to be the other way around for most people?

"Well." I tilted my head up about thirty degrees in thought. "There's this one time I had to rescue some lost guy in a pineco infested forest…"

From the immediate collective winces on my teammates' faces, I already know that none of them are fans of wild pinecos. No sane person will due to pinecos' explosive tendencies.

"No one really managed to map out the entirety of that particular forest that I was searching the guy due to how dangerous it is to even go there in the first place, which made that rescue operation so difficult. We cannot just teleport in without a care in the world because what will happen if we accidentally teleport ourselves into a group of pinecos? And I was alone. No backup for at least the next thirty minutes, because time was of the essence and I was the first to reach the scene as per usual. Then there was this guy, probably a hiker, stuck in the _middle_ of a pineco colony that we were tasked to rescue."

"How did he even get there in the first place without triggering all those pinecos?" Jacky asked, puzzlement clear on his face.

"Will you believe me if I said he literally fell from the sky and ended up there?" I challenged. Upon seeing the lack of verbal response, I continued. "Yeah, I thought so too. I didn't believe that guy either when I asked him the same question. Till this day, I never did manage to solve that mystery."

"So what did you do to get the man out?"

"I had Cotton." I commented as I idly reached for Cotton and patted her lightly on the head, dozing off from where she lay beside my chair. "A burst of Sleep Powder did most of the trick."

"I sense a but." Adam slurred, the effects of the alcohol kicking in.

"_But_." I carried on. "That forest we were in is also somewhat near the northern end of the Lake of Rage."

"By the name of the holy Ho-oh." Amy gasped out with her hands placed on the sides of her face. "Did-"

"_Yes_." I emphasised, already relieving the annoyance I felt from that day. "Some stupid gyarados, for whatever unknown reason, decided to get out of the lake that very day, at that very time, and somehow stumbled into that very section that we were at and freaking fired a Hyper Beam upon spotting us. _Pinecos _plus _gyarados_, people. It's not hard to imagine what comes next."

"Boom." Rufus helpfully added.

"Thank you for the sound effect, monsieur." I thanked Rufus with a curtsy, which he returned with a gentlemanly bow. "Thankfully, I have a Skarmory. She's called Dia, I will have to introduce my team to you guys soon, maybe tomorrow." I added the last part as an afterthought. "Dia tanked the blow for us before throwing up a Protect that lasted long enough for her to fly us out of there."

"But…?" Amy added hopefully.

"Thankfully, that was the end of the story. Anymore and I might not have lived to tell the tale."

"That was some really shitty luck." Rufus laughed it off. "Don't worry about it, all of us here in the Black squadron tend to face shitty odds on almost every mission! You won't be alone!"

"I think the correct reaction to that statement should be one of worry."

"It's not as bad as it sounds. At least you have interesting stories to tell at parties! Gets the ladies all the time! Right, Jacky, Adam?"

"That part is actually true." Jacky agreed with Rufus while Adam is now snoring away with his head on the table. He didn't strike me as the type to be unable to hold his own when it comes to alcohol. I guess looks can be deceiving.

I decided now is the time to ask the question I always wanted to ask.

"If you don't mind me asking, who was this Liz person before me?"

"Rock Specialist, second-in-command in Black Squadron." Jacky explained as he helpfully refilled my glass for me. I brought my cup up close to my mouth only to pause and take another whiff to do another confirmation.

Did he seriously just added alcohol to my drink?

"Liz was _badass_." Amy said as she snacked on some chips she procured from somewhere while I decided to just down the glass of alcoholic beverage, screw the age limit. "Very strong too. After she left, the position of second-in-command went to Jacky since he's the only other commissioned officer. Boss decides that we need someone to replace her, and so he sent out the news that we need a competent Ranger to fill up the slot Liz left behind. Then we got you."

"Why did she-"

"Leave the force?" Rufus completed the question for me with a grin. "She's gotten herself married, decided to have kids, start a family, that sort of stuff. Our line of work doesn't really allow us to lead 'normal' lives, as you already know. Most people tend to quit the force when they start the next chapter of their lives, especially the women. Hard to be a good mother when you keep getting called for missions at the least expected times. Men don't have it as hard."

"Both society and the Ranger force is unfair towards women like that." Amy shrugged. "The ugly truth, but it is what it is."

"Heard Liz found some stable job as a security consultant, last I heard. Private companies that need trainers tend to hire people like us the moment we leave the force, because we are good at what we do and we were trained by professionals. These private companies snatch us up like hotcakes every time they heard another Ranger had quit the force." Jacky said as he poured us another glass of drinks. At this juncture, I'm very sure that he is aware of the fact that he is trying to get me drunk, but I play along anyway. This wouldn't be the first time I did underage drinking.

"Actually, I have a question for you." Rufus pointed a finger at me while holding his glass. "Your full name is Skye Bale, right? As in, _that_ Bale?"

That question again. I get it wherever I go. I was wondering when it will pop up.

"Yes, _that_ Bale. Falkner is my older brother."

There was another round of '_ooooohhh'_ from the three of them (_Adam is still knocked out_). I think they are doing it just to be dramatic.

"That explains your skill with flying types."

"My brother did teach me the basics, but most of the advanced skills that I now possess had _nothing_ to do with my brother." I emphasised. "We aren't really on speaking terms right now. Last time I saw him, we were screaming at each other."

"Ouch." Jacky replied, suddenly looking sober. "Something happened?"

"You could say that." I did a dismissive gesture with my hand. "He's just… never mind."

"Hey, if you don't wanna go home you can always come over to my place to stay!" Rufus joked in an attempt to lighten the mood as he slung an arm around my shoulder. "How about we go for a date?"

"How about you stop flirting with every woman you see?" Amy retorted as she pinched and pulled at Rufus' ears, making him yelp in pain and begging for Amy to let go.

"Cheers!"

Jacky raised a mug into the air, and we all toasted to a fabulous year ahead. We even managed to get the still unconscious Adam to toast too by grabbing onto his arm and doing a toasting motion with it.

Yup, I will fit in here alright.

* * *

**Name: Skye Bale, 16, Female**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 9****th**** Ranger Regiment, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Staff Sergeant**

**Code Name: Zephyr**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Pidgeot (Crown), male**

**2\. ****Gliscor (Glide), male**

**3\. ****Skarmory (Dia), female**

**4\. ****Crobat (Beats), male**

**5\. ****Jumpluff (Cotton), female**

**6\. ****Dragonite (Tino), female**

**7\. ****Noivern (Echo), male**

**Name: Jacky Marsh, 19, Male**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: First Lieutenant**

**Code Name: Venom**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Scolipede**

**2\. ****Crobat**

**3\. ****Tentacruel**

**4\. ****Nidoking**

**5\. ****Skuntank**

**6\. ****Venasaur**

**7\. ****Toxicroak**

**8\. ****Weezing**

**9\. ****Dragalge**

**10\. ****Beedrill**

**Name: Amy Rose, 17, Female**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Sergeant First Class**

**Code Name: Powergirl**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Furret**

**2\. ****Pidgeot**

**3\. ****Lopunny**

**4\. ****Ursaring**

**5\. ****Wigglytuff**

**6\. ****Exploud**

**7\. ****Blissey**

**8\. ****Tauros**

**9\. ****Miltank**

**10\. ****Cinccino **

**Name: Adam Clive, 20, Male**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Sergeant First Class**

**Code Name: Nightmare**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Houndoom**

**2\. ****Honchkrow**

**3\. ****Umbreon**

**4\. ****Weavile**

**5\. ****Shiftry**

**6\. ****Sableye**

**7\. ****Greninja**

**8\. ****Hydreigon**

**9\. ****Pangoro**

**10\. ****Krookodile**

**Name: Rufus Grandell, 21, Male**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Master Sergeant**

**Code Name: Torrent**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Poliwrath**

**2\. ****Kingdra**

**3\. ****Dewgong**

**4\. ****Gyarados **

**5\. ****Feraligatr**

**6\. ****Slowking **

**7\. ****Crawdaunt**

**8\. ****Floatzel**

**9\. ****Jellicent**

**10\. ****Golisopod**

**Name: Pyral Furnes, 38, Male**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Lieutenant Colonel**

**Code Name: Cremator **

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Typhlosion**

**2\. ****Arcanine**

**3\. ****Charizard**

**4\. ****Magmortar**

**5\. ****Magcargo **

**6\. ****Alolan Marowak **

**7\. ****Torkoal**

**8\. ****Infernape**

**9\. ****Emboar**

**10\. ****Pyroar**

**11\. ****Chandelure **


	3. Chapter 3- Prehistoric Threat

_"There is an incident of wild pokemon attacking a ship at the sea south of New Bark Town. We are going to resolve it."_

That was the only information we received from our commander before we scrambled. Before we know it, we are already flying our way there. We could have teleported there with the help of psychic pokemon, but trained psychics strong enough to teleport us from our camp located near Violet City to New Bark Town in one jump are rare to come by. There wouldn't be enough of those in the 1st Regiment to bring us all to our destination.

However, I have a dragonite who is more than capable of high speed flight while carrying six people on her back. An average dragonite can circle the globe in sixteen hours by flight. We don't need a psychic to teleport us anywhere. Dragonites are extremely fast flyers, Tino can bring us to New Bark Town within a minute or two using her max speed.

"I never knew having a Flying Specialist on our team would be so convenient. I can see why the 9th is so reluctant to let you go." Rufus laughed as the harsh gusts of wind blew by our faces while Tino fly us to our mission location.

Apparently, this is the fastest form of transport to New Bark Town my team had ever experienced short of teleportation.

"Look sharp, here we are."

Our commander's words got us back at attention as we stared down below. The south of Johto faces the clear blue sea, which is where we are at now. Specifically, we are now a few kilometres down south from New Bark Town.

"Zephyr, let Torrent down and then remain in the air to help keep a lookout. Torrent, your water types will be needed."

"Don't need to tell me twice." Torrent, which is Rufus' codename, said as he released his pokemon in mid-air. His water types appeared on the sea as I let out the rest of my flying types as well. Crown grabbed onto Torrent and safely sent my teammate down to ride on one of his water types.

It is not uncommon for Rangers to bump into poachers or other criminals while on duty. Most poachers have an obvious lack of morals and have no qualms in committing murder. The last thing we need is for poachers to accidentally learn our real names and try to use that to find out where we live and harm our loved ones to get back at us. Hence, the need for codenames when we are out on the field.

The good thing is that we are allowed to pick our own codenames. Mine is Zephyr.

"A few hundred meters ahead is a ship in distress. Report has it that it is under attack from wild pokemon and they are unable to evacuate because of that. Our priority is to get all the passengers aboard it to safety. Torrent, Zephyr, you two will focus on protecting and escorting the civvies to dry land at New Bark Town. Reinforcements are currently on the way to pick the civvies up with the required transport. The rest of us will board the ship to defend it. Questions?"

"No, Sir!"

"Then let's get to it. Remember the drill."

We reached the distressed ship soon enough. Once we are there, Cremator, Venom, Nightmare, and Powergirl wasted no time in jumping down from Tino's back to land on the ship while sending out their pokemon to battle the large mass of water types. Torrent's own water types are doing a great job in holding off the group of wild water type pokemon while creating a large platform of ice on the sea to be used as a makeshift raft using ice type techniques.

"We are from the Johto Ranger Force! Please keep calm and follow the instructions to evacuate the ship! Women and children to the front, please!"

We managed to somehow maintain a sense of order among the panicking passengers despite the mayhem happening at the background. My flying types quickly picked up and deposited any passengers they found onto the raft of ice Torrent's pokemon had built. The rest of my teammates are defending the ship from harm with their pokemon.

It is in situations like this that you get to see both the bright and dark side of humanity. There are people who willingly offered others to board the raft first despite how they are obviously shaking in their boots in fear. There are also those who adamantly insisted that they should be the first to board the raft, and '_Do-you-know-who-I-am?_' is a common phrase often spouted from their mouths.

As a Ranger, it is my duty to save lives, but unsurprisingly, I always made sure that these people are always the last to make their escape. I always do like to see these type of people squirm a little in fear.

"Something's not fucking right with these pokemon!" I heard Nightmare, which is Adam's codename, yelling through the comms as he battled the pokemon attacking the ship. "Sir! I don't think these are wild pokemon! They act too fucking trained to be one!"

"Test it! Try to catch one of them!"

There was a grunt and the sound of several crashes through the comms.

"Pokeballs don't work! Sir, this isn't your usual search and rescue operation! This is a planned attack on the ship! We need to call in the STAR forces!"

There were several mentions of "FUCK!" through the comms. If this is a planned attack, then the nature of this mission changes. Even if the Ranger Force are made up of trainers, Rangers don't find themselves in combat with other trainers often. Most of the combat we faced are against wild pokemon, who are often less trained and less skilled than those trained by trainers. Protection, prevention, and rescue are the things that Rangers will be concerned with. Combat is not our specialty even if there are many of us who are good at it. The only time we fight against trainers is if we are stopping Pokemon Poachers. Anything that is combat related are often delegated to the STAR forces, which are the Indigo's equivalent of the special forces.

"Torrent! Zephyr! Venom! Get the passengers out of here NOW!"

"On it!" Torrent and I yelled out in affirmation as Jacky, whose code name is Venom, jumped from the ship and landed on the ice raft with a roll to break his fall. The rest of them have their own means to escape the ship if the need arises, so we shouldn't worry too much about them. What we should be worried about are the passengers. Assuming that this is a planned attack and not a random one, then there are only two reasons why anyone would attack the ship.

Either there is something on the ship valuable enough for an attack of this scale to be staged on it, or the target are the passenger(s) themselves. We will find out soon.

"Incoming!" I heard Powergirl, which is Amy's code name on the field, yelling through the comms as she warned us of a new threat. "Four o'clock direction! Flock of flying types heading your way, Venom! You three need to get to dry land ASAP! You are all sitting psyducks!"

"I'm staying on the raft to defend the civvies!" Venom shout a reply back through our comms. "Torrent! Get your pokemon to pick up the speed! Zephyr, I'm counting on you!"

"Leave it to me!" I yelled out from where I am riding on Crown's back as Torrent's pokemon started to hurry and push the raft of ice towards New Bark Town at a faster speed. Crown is my starter and the most agile flyer on my pokemon team. The rest of my pokemon hovered in the air in a V formation, ready to face the dark cloud of flying pokemon approaching us from afar.

I spotted the pidgey line, spearow line, zubat line, butterfrees, ledyba line, murkrow line, and the exotic wingull and ducklett line among others. It's like someone just gathered a random congregation of pokemon that has wings and can fly and simply throw them all here to fight us.

I also spotted a few fully evolved dragons in the mix. At the very least, I spotted two salamences and an altaria. Someone really wants someone dead or something gone for them to send fully evolved dragons after us.

"Tino, Echo, get the dragons! The rest of you, take the rest of the flock out of the air as fast as you can! Let's go!"

With a collective war cry, my team charged into battle with me on Crown's back.

"Emi, Cosmo, Hawk!"

The three new members of my team who had only joined us two weeks ago shortly after I was posted to the 1st Regiment swiftly took down a flock of fearows near us. I chose an emolga, sigilyph, and hawlucha from the League's pokemon reserves to add to my team because 1) I don't have members on my team yet with their secondary typing and 2) They are small enough to fight effectively in enclosed spaces should I ever find myself in that scenario. The three of them are not yet up to par with the rest of my team, but they are good enough to be used on the field.

Things were going well for us, as well as things can get after we found out that this is more than a simple search and rescue operation. There is definitely going to be a big investigation to be conducted later.

I see Echo and Tino teaming up to take down the evolved dragons within the flock of enraged flying types. Some of the feral pokemon that attacked us managed to get through me and my team and head towards the ice raft, but it is nothing that Venom and Torrent couldn't handle.

It was about five minutes in that I realised something odd.

"Guys! Not all of the flying types are trained! Most of them should be wild pokemon! Just take down the leader and the rest should disperse!"

Such a method is a common tactic used by trainers in the olden days to control a large number of pokemon. They either capture the leader of the pack of wild pokemon or train a pokemon from scratch to later use it to lead a group of wild pokemon of the same species. By controlling the leader of the pack, trainers themselves effectively control the pack of wild pokemon as well. However, the downside is that once the leader of the pack is brought down, the pack usually disperse as fast as they came.

In our case, that is one thing we can exploit.

And then, one of the most ferocious roars I had ever heard reached my ears.

Another feral flying type made its appearance known as a small grey speck in the sky before quickly getting bigger and bigger as it approached us. My eyes widened in disbelief and I can feel my heartbeat quickened at the sight of the newcomer. I had only seen drawings or 3D models of its species before because such a pokemon _should have been **extinct**_.

"Crown, duck!"

Crown managed to swerve right out of the way just as a Hyper Beam was fired from that pokemon, indiscriminately frying any pokemon unfortunate enough to get caught in the crossfire, uncaring if it were friend or foe. That Hyper Beam had some serious firepower packed into it.

"Guys?! I know this sounds unbelievable but-" I was cut off when Crown suddenly took a sharp turn to fly higher into the air to escape the pursuit being launched on us by the newest player into the game. Great, we had somehow got its attention and it is now hot on our literal tail.

"Zephyr?! This is Cremator! Come in!"

"THERE'S A FUCKING **_AERODACTYL_** HOT ON MY TAIL!"

That was the last thing I managed to scream out before Crown started to do a series of quick aerial manoeuvres to escape the ferocious aerodactyl, who is also a surprisingly quick and agile flyer despite its size as it snapped its jaws savagely. I took this time to hurry and check on the status of the rest of my pokemon team. Tino and Echo are still busy with trying to put down the enemy dragons and the rest of my team are also being held up by the rest of the flock of enraged flying types.

It is just me and Crown against the crazy aerodactyl, and typing wise, Crown is the least-suited candidate I have in facing against a rock-flying dual-type.

"Alright, not the worst odds that we had faced before." I muttered to myself to clear my mind before speaking to Crown.

"Crown, we need to get that aerodactyl away from the raft."

My pidgeot and starter crowed out an acknowledgement as we steadily flew higher and away from the raft, doing our best to lure the aerodactyl to go after us instead. Everytime the aerodactyl started to lose interest in us, Crown would fire an Air Slash or Air Cutter to make sure its attention is still on us and the chase will continue. Aerodactyl is starting to see us as its greatest threat, and is slowly ignoring everything else just to hunt us down. This is slowly working out in our favour.

It is obvious about two minutes into the scuffle that Crown might not be able to beat that aerodactyl in a contest of speed with me on his back, so it now all boils down to a matter of skill. Thankfully, the only ranged attacks aerodactyl seems to know are Ancient Power and Hyper Beam, which is easy to avoid if you know the signs to look out for.

Crown folded his wings and did a barrel roll in mid-air to avoid another Ancient Power fired our way. The aerodactyl tried to maul us with its jaws with a Crunch, but Crown pulled off a Double Team that left an afterimage behind, confusing the aerodactyl long enough for us to safely pull away.

"Hurricane!"

With a single flap of his massive wings, Crown conjured and slammed a raging hurricane right at the aerodactyl, dealing our first big attack onto the behemoth. The aerodactyl emerged from the attack relatively unscathed. It being a rock type eliminated a lot of possible options Crown could use. With me on his back, Crown is also fighting against the aerodactyl with a severe handicap.

The aerodactyl tried to nail us with Supersonic, which Crown easily dispersed with an Air Slash before flying out of the way once more when aerodactyl came charging right at us. I was about to bark out another command when Glide came into the picture with a Metal Claw, taking some of the aggro away from Crown and I when Glide landed his attack right on aerodactyl's head.

"Good job, Glide! Thunder Fang! Clip its wings!"

My gliscor chomped down on aerodactyl's left wing with a massive discharge of electricity. The aerodactyl screamed in pain as it tried to use its jaws and claws to get Glide off its wing, but Crown fired accurate shots of Air Slashes that disrupted its every attempt. The aerodactyl spiralled down towards the sea with Glide latching onto its wing. With one of its wings disabled by Glide, it had already lost its ability to fly.

First rule when dealing against flying types: Always try to clip their wings.

There was a shot of Dragon Pulse fired from a distance that hit the aerodactyl squarely in its abdomen, dealing another burst of substantial damage. Echo, my noivern, flew right in and started to assist Glide by bombarding the aerodactyl with an assortment of ranged attacks. The aerodactyl is losing its ability to fight back, but it is not as quick as I would like it to be.

We need to really hurry and contain the aerodactyl before things spiral out of control and the prehistoric pokemon somehow managed to land a lucky shot on the raft, which isn't that far away to reach for a flying type. All it takes is a single slip up and the results could be disastrous. Aerodactyls are known to be the king of the skies in their prehistoric era for a reason.

"Crown, after it!"

Crown folded his wings and did a sharp nosedive as we chased after the falling aerodactyl.

Prehistoric pokemon are supposed to be extinct. While the Fossil Revival Technology had already been invented and there are already living revived fossil pokemon roaming the earth, seeing a prehistoric pokemon running around is still a very rare sight due to the astronomical cost of reviving one. Furthermore, all known prehistoric pokemon are being held in trainer captivity because they are either revived from fossils by trainers who wished to add them into their team, or revived by scientists to conduct further studies on them.

There really shouldn't be one running amok like this in the wild.

I'm not sure if the aerodactyl is already registered by a pokeball or not, but I guess we will soon find out. Capturing it will be the safest approach to contain the highly aggressive pokemon. If capture fails, then I will have to find a way to somehow disable it long enough until we get the civilians to safety.

"Echo, Water Pulse! Glide, paralyse it with Thunder Fang! I'm going to try and capture it!"

The aerodactyl is still free falling towards the sea with Glide's jaws firmly chomped on its wing. Echo hit the aerodactyl with a blast of water at the same time Glide released another massive discharge of electricity, weakening the aerodactyl further as it thrashed about in the air.

I primed an empty pokeball in my right hand as Crown continue to dive down after the aerodactyl, quickly closing the distance between us. The moment Glide's jaws let go of aerodactyl's wing, I threw the pokeball at the prehistoric pokemon.

_Come on, please work. Please let it work. Let this aerodactyl be a wild pokemon or we are so screwed._

The pokeball stopped fidgeting soon after aerodactyl was sucked into the pokeball, signalling its successful capture. I managed to catch aerodactyl's pokeball with my outstretched hand and Crown immediately did a sharp U turn to pull us up back into the air again. From the quick glance of my surroundings, I think things have settled down somewhat. Most of the flying types in that huge flock had dispersed or had been defeated by the rest of my pokemon during our scuffle with the aerodactyl.

I radioed my commander as my pokemon finished up with their respective battles before hovering in the air beside me and Crown.

"Cremator? This is Zephyr. The prehistoric threat has been neutralised. It is a wild pokemon, surprisingly enough. I had captured it."

"This is Cremator. Copy that. We had also just finished up and we are on our way to regroup with Torrent and Venom. Race you there. Torrent and Venom, I need a sitrep on your side."

"This is Venom. There is no casualty on our side. The transport sent in by reinforcements had already arrived. I had also enlisted the help of the ship's captain and confirmed that all the passengers onboard are accounted for. Torrent and I are escorting the transport on their way to New Bark Town. I can already see dry land."

"Something is really fucking wrong if there was really an Arceus-to-honest aerodactyl flying around shooting Hyper Beams here on the freaking sea. Zephyr, are you sure you aren't seeing things?"

"You want me to set the aerodactyl on _your_ ass, Nightmare?" I quipped back at Adam as my flying types finally spotted the rescue ship Venom was talking about. They automatically split up to circle around the ship in the skies above, flying in a formation that can allow them to quickly protect the civilians on it at the slightest hint of danger.

"YES! Please do that!" Powergirl's excited voice rang through the earpiece we wore on our ears.

"I can video the entire thing." Torrent offered.

"I can provide the popcorn when we watch the video." Venom added.

"All of you should just crawl into a ditch and die."

"Don't be a spoilsport, Mr Edgy." Cremator's voice drawled out just as a humongous charizard flew parallel to Crown, gliding in the air beside us on our right. Powergirl and Cremator rode on its back, and I returned the thumbs up I saw Powergirl sending my way.

"With all due respect, Sir, my codename is _Nightmare_." A hydreigon flew on my left with Nightmare as its rider.

"Could have fooled us all with how edgy you are." Torrent laughed from where he is on the ship with Venom. His water types are swimming alongside the ship at a leisurely pace with him riding on his feraligatr.

"Shut the fuck up, water hose."

"Commander, permission to allow Zephyr to set the aerodactyl on Nightmare's ass right now."

"YES! I TOTALLY WANT TO SEE THAT!"

"I second that, Sir."

"Sir, can I?" I added cheekily.

"I heard you, people, but if you are the aerodactyl, will you want to bite Edgy's stinky ass? Let's be considerate people, yeah?"

There was the sound of grinding teeth through the comms. One guess as to who it came from.

"Fuck off, shitheads."

* * *

**Name: Skye Bale, 16, Female**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 9****th**** Ranger Regiment, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Staff Sergeant**

**Code Name: Zephyr**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Pidgeot (Crown), male**

**2\. ****Gliscor (Glide), male**

**3\. ****Skarmory (Dia), female**

**4\. ****Crobat (Beats), male**

**5\. ****Jumpluff (Cotton), female**

**6\. ****Dragonite (Tino), female**

**7\. ****Noivern (Echo), male**

**8\. ****Emolga, (Emi), female **

**9\. ****Hawlucha (Hawk), male**

**10\. ****Sigilyph (Cosmo), female**

**11\. ****Aerodactyl**

**Name: Jacky Marsh, 19, Male**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: First Lieutenant**

**Code Name: Venom**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Scolipede**

**2\. ****Crobat**

**3\. ****Tentacruel**

**4\. ****Nidoking**

**5\. ****Skuntank**

**6\. ****Venasaur**

**7\. ****Toxicroak**

**8\. ****Weezing**

**9\. ****Dragalge**

**10\. ****Beedrill**

**Name: Amy Rose, 17, Female**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Sergeant First Class**

**Code Name: Powergirl**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Furret**

**2\. ****Pidgeot**

**3\. ****Lopunny**

**4\. ****Ursaring**

**5\. ****Wigglytuff**

**6\. ****Exploud**

**7\. ****Blissey**

**8\. ****Tauros**

**9\. ****Miltank**

**10\. ****Cinccino **

**Name: Adam Clive, 20, Male**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Sergeant First Class**

**Code Name: Nightmare**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Houndoom**

**2\. ****Honchkrow**

**3\. ****Umbreon**

**4\. ****Weavile**

**5\. ****Shiftry**

**6\. ****Sableye**

**7\. ****Greninja**

**8\. ****Hydreigon**

**9\. ****Pangoro**

**10\. ****Krookodile**

**Name: Rufus Grandell, 21, Male**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Master Sergeant**

**Code Name: Torrent**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Poliwrath**

**2\. ****Kingdra**

**3\. ****Dewgong**

**4\. ****Gyarados **

**5\. ****Feraligatr**

**6\. ****Slowking **

**7\. ****Crawdaunt**

**8\. ****Floatzel**

**9\. ****Jellicent**

**10\. ****Golisopod**

**Name: Pyral Furnes, 38, Male**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Lieutenant Colonel**

**Code Name: Cremator **

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Typhlosion**

**2\. ****Arcanine**

**3\. ****Charizard**

**4\. ****Magmortar**

**5\. ****Magcargo **

**6\. ****Alolan Marowak **

**7\. ****Torkoal**

**8\. ****Infernape**

**9\. ****Emboar**

**10\. ****Pyroar**

**11\. ****Chandelure **


	4. Chapter 4- Aria

Two days later, all of us who had participated in that search and rescue operation on the sea were called into the briefing room by our commander.

"Long story short, Team Rocket was involved. There was someone among the passengers who were their target, a pokemon researcher of some sort. From what I was told, he was involved in some inhumane pokemon experimentation conducted by Team Rocket. Maybe his conscience could no longer take it, maybe he realised that there's no way he will have a good ending the moment he tangled himself up with the Rockets, but that guy suddenly wanted an out, so he made a run for it. Team Rocket sent someone, or someones, to make his death look like an accident. The scientist is now in STAR's custody and is under questioning."

"The only reason why's he still alive is because the Rockets didn't count on us arriving onto the scene so soon." Jacky deduced, and Commander Pyral Furnes nodded in agreement.

"There aren't many trainers who have highly trained dragonites on their team." Our commander drawled out in his usual lazy monotone that he uses whenever he is off the field, and I can feel everyone's gazes staring at me upon our commander's words.

"Um, you are welcomed?"

"What about that aerodactyl?" Amy voiced out the big burning question in everyone's minds.

"That's the funny thing." Our commander let out his signature long sigh that gives us the impression that him talking to us is a slow and torturous experience for him. That asshat. "That wasn't a Team Rocket pokemon, but it is still linked to Team Rocket somehow."

"What?" Adam blurted. We are all just as confused as he is.

"Less than thirty minutes before our regiment received the ship's distress call and our squadron was tasked to save the ship, a secret government facility that conducts research on prehistoric pokemon was suddenly under attack from a group of Rockets. Everything there was either stolen or wiped."

Commander Pyral slowly picked up his cup of steaming hot coffee and took a long sip before continuing.

"In that facility, there were a group of prehistoric pokemon who are more special than the usual. Unlike those revived from fossils, that group of prehistoric pokemon were _found_ in the wild. They _survived extinction._ After these prehistoric pokemon were found by the government a few months back in some remote corners of the region, they immediately relocated them into that facility for further study. The whole affair was hush-hush. Not many were told about the existence of the facility and what it really does due to the type of pokemon it houses."

"No offense, but it sounds like a load of tauros crap to me, Sir." Rufus stated.

"Don't worry, I have the same thoughts as you do." Pyral waved it off before continuing the briefing. "By the time STAR forces arrived to assist that facility, the Rockets were gone together with every prehistoric pokemon kept there. Their computers were hacked, data stolen, all relevant research that they could not take with them were destroyed. STAR forces assumed that every single living fossil there were taken by the Rockets, but apparently one got away."

"That aerodactyl." Amy concluded.

"Bingo." Pyral pointed an approving finger at Amy. "But the timing between the two attacks were too coincidental and aerodactyls have no reason to fly close to the sea at all, or at least that's what those nerdy researchers claimed. So STAR forces ran another check on the aerodactyl and found faint traces of Hypnosis used on the aerodactyl. We believed the aerodactyl was being hypnotised to go after that specific ship, but unfortunately for the Rockets, we were able to stop it."

"There's absolutely no link between the attack on that research facility and on the ship, unless you are telling us that the scientist that was being targeted is also somehow involved in researching prehistoric pokemon." I said with a frown on my face.

"Here's what Regiment Commander and the STAR forces think had happened after we put all the facts together." Our commander put down his mug of coffee as he started to explain with hand gestures. "We suspect that initially, the attack on the facility and on the ship were two separate attacks conducted by two different Rocket groups. However, due to our quick response, the group that was attacking the ship failed their objective, and probably phoned the group at the facility for help. A Rocket that was attacking the facility probably had the bright idea of brainwashing an aggressive aerodactyl with Hypnosis to clean up the job, bringing us back to where we are now."

"It's a nice plan if you think about it." Jacky whistled. "You get a strong and ferocious wild pokemon to complete what your allies messed up, and even if that aerodactyl got taken down, there are no clues that can be traced back to them because that aerodactyl is technically a wild pokemon."

"Yes, which makes whichever Rocket that even had the brain cells to cook up this idea in the first place an exceptionally scary one. The people from the STAR forces are designating this unknown individual a Level 9 threat. There are very few trainers in Indigo with pokemon that possess such skill and expertise with the Hypnosis move, so hopefully this can narrow down the search enough."

Our commander took a brief pause as his stern gaze slowly swept over us.

"Now, I will only say this once. Other than the obvious fact that everything you saw or heard about this shitfest is classified, this affair is now under the STAR's jurisdiction, not the Rangers. And if you guys happen to spot such an individual among the Rockets for whatever reason, DO NOT ENGAGE the target alone. Do you guys copy?"

"Yes, Sir!"

Commander Pyral then detached a pokeball from his belt and tossed it to me, which I caught on reflex.

"That crazy aerodactyl is yours now, Skye. Congrats, I don't envy you at all."

"The researchers are just relinquishing their hold on it, just like that?" I asked in surprise. My question was answered with a casual shrug by Pyral.

Back then, I was asked to handover the captured aerodactyl to the Ranger force the moment the operation was completed because it is a wild _prehistoric pokemon_ we were looking at. While a part of me was lamenting the loss of adding such a powerful pokemon to my team, a larger part of me was relieved to hand it over. The aerodactyl is probably more interested in eating me alive than trying to follow orders anyway. Taming such a prideful yet powerful pokemon is more trouble than it's worth.

"The researchers said something about the aerodactyl becoming even more ferocious after getting captured. Since its species shared many characteristics with dragon types, we suspect that it might only listen to you, the one who defeated it in battle."

"Basically, they want me to help them tame it and if someone ends up as its dinner, it won't be them." I deadpanned. The stupid researchers just freaking used me as free labour to help tame their little fossil monster.

Assholes.

"Glad you caught on." Commander Pyral rolled his eyes at my snarky answer. "The researchers are now curious as to how a prehistoric pokemon naturally born in the wild will behave in trainer captivity, so they will drop by a number of times to observe its behaviour and interaction with humans. Don't be too surprised if you see them walking around in camp and prodding you for questions."

"I will send the aerodactyl their way to prod _them_ for questions."

"But Skye, an aerodactyl! An _aerodactyl_!" Amy gasped in a dramatic manner which might seem fake, but her reactions are actually genuine. She is legitimately excited at the thought of interacting with the rare prehistoric pokemon.

"Who is probably more interested in eating me than anything else. This is such a pain in the ass."

"Hey, this might be a good thing. We might actually get to see the aerodactyl biting on _Adam's_ ass." Jacky reminded with a sly look in his eyes.

"Oh yeah, _that_. Hurry it up, Skye! Hurry and tame that aerodactyl so that we can set the aerodactyl on Adam's ass!" Rufus hollered.

"The aerodactyl's a she, by the way." Commander Pyral added. So _helpful_ of him.

The only one who doesn't find the entire debacle funny at all is unsurprisingly, Adam.

"Shut the damn fuck up, you imbeciles."

* * *

"We have another new guy joining us today."

There were cheers from some members of my pokemon team. The other group of them simply looked on in curiosity. I had the entire training field to myself today. Commander Pyral had helped me ensure that nobody but me will be here today given that I will be taming an _aerodactyl_ of all things.

Doing something as outlandish as this will definitely warrant such an arrangement.

I took out the pokeball that housed the aerodactyl and held it for my pokemon to see.

"Remember that crazy aerodactyl? I was given custody of it, because the stupid researchers are too lazy to tame it themselves so they threw the job to us. We will need to continuously beat this aerodactyl to break him into our team and then we need to get him to listen. This is going to be a really big pain."

There were a variety of reactions from the different members of my team. Some chuckled. Some snorted. One or two were too lazy to give an answer. Innocent cinnamon rolls like Cotton simply looked up at me in unconcealed curiosity and anticipation.

"Echo, Tino, I'm counting on you two to take him down a peg or two. Scratch that, take the aerodactyl down as many pegs as you need to. I don't want to waste too much of our time breaking her in."

Echo and Tino roared in laughter, delight clear in their voice.

Once everyone was ready, I let the aerodactyl out of her pokeball.

The aerodactyl eyed us warily the moment it was released. It hadn't taken flight yet, still standing on the ground with her two feet, wings tucked. However, the constant low growling and shifting of her feet is more than enough clues for me to know that it is definitely wary of us. The bared fangs is a clear enough indication that while she probably have some degree of respect for us after our big battle, it will require a lot of effort on our part to get her to work with us as a team.

"My name is Skye. I am now your trainer." I went straight to the point with the aerodactyl. Wait, does a prehistoric pokemon even know the concept of what a trainer-pokemon relationship is?

"We are going to be a team now." I gestured to everyone around me. "You and us. I will train you to be strong. In return, you will have to take orders from me."

Upon hearing the last part of my speech, aerodactyl immediately let out a defiant roar and spread her wings wide in a show of power, trying to intimidate us. She was immediately challenged by Tino and Echo, who returned the gesture. The entire session had immediately spiralled into a shouting match.

Guess playing nice won't work on aerodactyl. She's very close to losing her cool upon hearing that she will be taking _orders_. As I suspected, she is too prideful to accept the idea of taking orders from another.

"Tino and Echo are the strongest members of my team. If you want to be alpha, then beat them."

Without further ado, aerodactyl took off into the air with Echo hot on her heels. The two fliers immediately engaged in aerial combat. However, aerodactyl is mainly a physical fighter while Echo is a natural born ranged fighter. Furthermore, Echo had been through rigorous training long before we met the aerodactyl.

The aerodactyl didn't stand a chance.

"Do you yield?" I asked when the aerodactyl was sent crashing down back to the ground by Echo. The only answer I received was another defiant roar even as the aerodactyl struggled to get back up on her feet.

I can only shrug. I don't want to do this, but it seems to be the quickest way for aerodactyl to even consider listening to what I have to say.

"Have it your way. It's your funeral."

* * *

Now that we don't have a ship of civvies to protect and a huge flock of feral flying types to hold us back, my team can now fight aerodactyl at full strength, which was what they did with glee.

For the next two hours, each member of my team took turns to play around with the aerodactyl. To keep things fair, I even healed the aerodactyl back to full health with potions after every single bout. I want to show her how beneath she is as compared to them right now in terms of skill.

If this method still doesn't humble that prideful prehistoric pokemon, I don't know what will.

By the tenth and last battle where aerodactyl lost to my cute and adorable Emi, my emolga, aerodactyl's facial expression looked as though she had just experienced the most ridiculous and unbelievable shitstorm ever. Getting their ass kicked by a small cutesy emolga has that effect on any pokemon.

To top it off, Emi is one of the newer members on my team, joining us only about two weeks ago. I'm good at what I do. Any flying type that was trained by me improved by leaps and bounds even if they were under my guidance only for just a little while.

"Are you satisfied now?" I asked for the umpteenth time as I healed aerodactyl's injuries with potions once more. With obvious fatigue, aerodactyl begrudgingly got back up to her feet before going back to staring at me, fangs still bared. However, the growling is now gone, which is an improvement.

Dia stood protectively on my front left, which allows her to be able to quickly protect me with her wings if aerodactyl decides to suddenly launch an attack on me. She let out her own low growl in warning to remind the aerodactyl of her place in the pecking order.

Aerodactyl slowly stopped baring her fangs and after we had a staring contest of what seemed like an eternity (_to me, at least_), she slowly backed down and her eyes averted my gaze. Her wings are no longer spread out in a display of power and proclamation of territory but rather, now tucked into the sides of her body. The glare in her eyes is no longer hostile, although it is still predatory. Her chin is now facing downwards instead of up.

Very slowly, she dipped her head downwards in my direction with a nod as a show of respect, effectively acknowledging me as her superior and trainer. Once she is done, I gave my own curt nod in return, but not as low as she did. Since she now recognised me as the alpha, I have to make sure that I solidify my own standing while still giving her that same respect. I cannot bow my head as low as she did for me. Aerodactyl is obviously the type of pokemon that respect an individual's strength and power above all, so I have to maintain the status quo to get her to listen to me.

Such behaviours that aerodactyl just exhibited are typical of dragon type pokemon, but many pokemon that are not classified as dragon types also exhibit these same characteristics if their species are closely related to dragon types. Charizard, tyranitar, gyarados, are examples of species of pokemon who exhibit the occasional draconic characteristics. Aerodactyl falls under this category too from what I was told by the lazy asshole researchers.

I still insist that the researchers are assholes for making me do their job for them, but at least I got another powerhouse into my team, so I am not going to complain too much about this arrangement. This taming session went a lot better than I had expected it to be.

I was allowed to permanently keep aerodactyl on my team since it doesn't seem like it will ever bring herself to listen to another trainer. There are cases of pokemon only listening to the trainer that had captured them in the wild, which probably spurred the researchers to make such a decision.

When I deemed the aerodactyl to finally be docile enough to let me touch her, I scratched her with my hand at the spot underneath her jaws, near the place where her lower jaw and neck are connected. Her rough hide is scratchy but is smoother than I expected it to be. Aerodactyl let out a content purr from her throat, finally letting her guard down around me. Good, she is finally opening herself up to us.

Not many can claim to have touch a prehistoric pokemon before, let alone tame them. This is something that I can goad about.

"Do you want a nickname?"

Aerodactyl gave me a confused look.

"Tino is a dragonite, but I call her Tino. Echo is a noivern, but I call him Echo because that is the nickname I gave him. Each of your friends here all have a nickname. If you want one, I can think of one for you."

Aerodactyl took a moment to consider it before nodding in agreement. I suggested the first name that came to my mind.

"How about Aria?"

She let out a grunt of agreement.

"Welcome to the team, Aria."

* * *

**Name: Skye Bale, 16, Female**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 9****th**** Ranger Regiment, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Staff Sergeant**

**Code Name: Zephyr**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Pidgeot (Crown), male**

**2\. ****Gliscor (Glide), male**

**3\. ****Skarmory (Dia), female**

**4\. ****Crobat (Beats), male**

**5\. ****Jumpluff (Cotton), female**

**6\. ****Dragonite (Tino), female**

**7\. ****Noivern (Echo), male**

**8\. ****Emolga, (Emi), female **

**9\. ****Hawlucha (Hawk), male**

**10\. ****Sigilyph (Cosmo), female**

**11\. ****Aerodactyl (Aria), female**

**Name: Jacky Marsh, 19, Male**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: First Lieutenant**

**Code Name: Venom**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Scolipede**

**2\. ****Crobat**

**3\. ****Tentacruel**

**4\. ****Nidoking**

**5\. ****Skuntank**

**6\. ****Venasaur**

**7\. ****Toxicroak**

**8\. ****Weezing**

**9\. ****Dragalge**

**10\. ****Beedrill**

**Name: Amy Rose, 17, Female**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Sergeant First Class**

**Code Name: Powergirl**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Furret**

**2\. ****Pidgeot**

**3\. ****Lopunny**

**4\. ****Ursaring**

**5\. ****Wigglytuff**

**6\. ****Exploud**

**7\. ****Blissey**

**8\. ****Tauros**

**9\. ****Miltank**

**10\. ****Cinccino **

**Name: Adam Clive, 20, Male**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Sergeant First Class**

**Code Name: Nightmare**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Houndoom**

**2\. ****Honchkrow**

**3\. ****Umbreon**

**4\. ****Weavile**

**5\. ****Shiftry**

**6\. ****Sableye**

**7\. ****Greninja**

**8\. ****Hydreigon**

**9\. ****Pangoro**

**10\. ****Krookodile**

**Name: Rufus Grandell, 21, Male**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Master Sergeant**

**Code Name: Torrent**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Poliwrath**

**2\. ****Kingdra**

**3\. ****Dewgong**

**4\. ****Gyarados **

**5\. ****Feraligatr**

**6\. ****Slowking **

**7\. ****Crawdaunt**

**8\. ****Floatzel**

**9\. ****Jellicent**

**10\. ****Golisopod**

**Name: Pyral Furnes, 38, Male**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Lieutenant Colonel**

**Code Name: Cremator **

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Typhlosion**

**2\. ****Arcanine**

**3\. ****Charizard**

**4\. ****Magmortar**

**5\. ****Magcargo **

**6\. ****Alolan Marowak **

**7\. ****Torkoal**

**8\. ****Infernape**

**9\. ****Emboar**

**10\. ****Pyroar**

**11\. ****Chandelure **


	5. Chapter 5- The Bale Siblings

"I heard you got yourself into some very dangerous stuff, Skye."

I took a deep breath to forcibly calm myself down. Here I am, finally given two days off for some R&R to go home to just kick back and relax. No duties, no calls, no operations to go on. Just some simple relaxation that I had been looking forward to for months now, and not even an hour after I got home, bathed myself clean, kept my pokemon fed and happy, barricade myself in my room to just Netflix and chill while munching on some junk food (_there's no Netflix in this world, but you get my point_), my older brother just had to spoil my fun.

I turned around from my comfortable little castle of pillows and blankets that I had made in my room, cuddling with the smaller members of my team like Cotton, Emi, and Hawk, and spotted my older brother leaning against the wall, arms folded across his chest and looking at me as if demanding an explanation.

I folded my own arms across my own chest and looked at him squarely in the eyes.

"In case you had forgotten, Mr _Gym Leader_, I am a _Ranger_. Getting myself in dangerous situations is in the job description. Do I need to print out the job description for you to read from the Ranger's recruitment site? Do you want it printed on A4 or A3? Maybe A2 so that the font is easier for you to read?"

My brother dragged a palm over his face.

"You know what I'm talking about, Skye. I know you like flying, I understand because I enjoy the same sensation too, but there are many jobs out there that allows you to fly to your heart's content while not requiring you to risk your life on a daily ba-"

"Now hold it right there." I cut off sharply. "Unless you want me to literally stomp out of the house right now, don't go any further than this. You should know by now how this will end. Either shut up and join me in my drama marathon, or just walk out of my room."

"You were facing against an _aerodactyl_ of all things." My brother hissed out. "And _Team Rocket_? You are not ready to face something like that at your age!"

"That was a one-off thing. That case had been handed over to STAR to investigate because Team Rocket was involved and also because the nature of the case is beyond the Ranger's jurisdiction. I'm no longer involved in that stupid case, so your point is now invalid." I motioned with my hand for him to **_zip it_**. "I'm not going to argue with you any further, we had been through this ever since I finished my conference since like, what? Three or four years ago? Now, if you would _kindly_ walk out of that door and close it behind you, I have a drama series to finish watching. Don't ruin my rare day off for me."

"Skye." Falkner said with a sigh as he sat down opposite me so that I cannot ignore him. "Listen to me. This is for your own good."

I raised a finger at him in warning.

"**_Don't._** Say that bloody phrase. You know how much I hate that phrase." I can see Cotton and Emi looking at our exchange with worried glances from my peripheral vision. Hawk is frowning and is getting a little restless. Cotton had gotten used to the argument I tend to have with my older brother, but this is a first experience for Emi and Hawk.

Honestly, I really do not want to show such an ugly sight to my pokemon at all, but right now I'm too frustrated to be bothered about it.

"Well, how else am I supposed to say it?!" My brother's voice got a little louder in exasperation. "Mum's gone. Dad's missing. If anything happens to you or Ciel, how will I answer him when he comes back-"

"Then **_maybe_** he shouldn't have left us to fend for ourselves before doing the whole hocus pocus disappearing act!" I snapped back. "Greatest bird pokemon master my ass! If it wasn't for the photo hanging in the living room I wouldn't even remember how he looked like!"

"Don't speak about Dad in this manner." Falkner warned, voice going threateningly low.

"_I will say anything about him however I fucking want_." I hissed back. "He was barely at home to even come to check on us and Mum when he was still around. I can count the number of times with the fingers on both my hands. I don't even remember what his voice sound like. After Mum died, when was the last time he came to visit us? When I was _six_? I'm _sixteen_ now, Falkner. That's a freaking decade and there's still no fucking news about him. Not even a single hair."

Falkner's expression fell a little.

"Maybe he got into an accident and… you know…"

"He was a _Gym Leader_." I called out on his bullshit. "The previous Violet City Gym Leader before you. _The greatest bird pokemon master._ **You** of all people should know how hard it is to put down a Gym Leader. You will need at least a small army to even have a chance. Even if he really did get assassinated from the slew of enemies he had made as a Gym Leader or got into whatever crap accident, there's no way he would have gone down quietly. _Someone_ would know. **_Someone_** would have found out or saw it. I bet my Ranger badge that he is somewhere out there in the world gallivanting around, _conveniently_ forgetting that he actually has _three children_ **waiting** for him at **_home_**. We didn't even move to a new house ever since he left! There's **_no way_** he cannot find us! He didn't even put in the effort to make a single _phone call_ to check if we are alright! IF WE ARE STILL FUCKING ALIVE! **ACCEPT IT!** He _LEFT_ us."

"Dad is _not_ that kind of person."

"Your blind idolism of him is really the world's eighth wonder, not that I know what the other seven wonders are." I shifted myself away so that he is not blocking my view of the TV screen that is currently playing out the drama that I was watching. "Out, Falkner, before this evolves into another screaming match."

"Fine, then we shall not talk about him. Let's talk about your career choice." Falkner moved to sit in front of me once more. I could only look up at the ceiling, close my eyes, take a deep breath and mentally count to three before facing him once more. Not this discussion again.

"Don't make me slap you."

"If one slap is all it takes for you to actually listen to me for _once_, I will gladly take it." Falkner countered. "Very few trainers last for more than a decade in STAR or in the Rangers. Anyone who permanently stayed on as regulars either die in the line of duty or they were forced to retire from some crippling injury. Only less than 5% of the regulars get out of there with their limbs and lives intact and had the chance to retire and I'm not even talking about how you are now in the **_1_****_st_****_ Regiment_** of all regiments you could have transferred to."

My brother put both his hands on my shoulder in a last-ditch attempt to convince me, voice turning gentle.

"Skye, please, _listen_ to me. Do a career switch before something happens to you. If you like to fly so much, I'm sure I can pull some strings to get you the perfect job. So, please, _stop_ endangering your life like that."

"And then?" I challenged quietly, trying very hard not to let my tears leak out. This is an argument we had been through many, many times ever since I had finished my conference and started looking for a job. I'm **_sick_** of this.

"How many times will you force me to quit every single one of my job before you are satisfied? Until you place me behind a desk and be a paper pusher for the rest of my life? Is that your definition of safe?"

"Skye-"

"I wanted to be in STAR." I continued, ignoring the trembling of my voice. "They only accept the best of the best from every year's conference. I was a shoo-in after my performance in my first and only conference. You said that the job is too dangerous. We argued for three days and three nights about that, remember?"

There was a brief pause as we both stared at each other, neither party backing down, but my older brother managed a reply.

"I do."

"I compromised." I said as a tear or two starts to slide down my face, lips quivering. "You said you don't want me to sign myself up for such a dangerous job because _I was only twelve_ and I wasn't prepared to do something like taking down Rockets on a daily basis. I compromised, Falkner. I turned down that fucking offer that the STAR commander himself had personally send to my email _three times_, because I _listened_ to you. The type of offer that thousands of trainers can only dream of but never receive, I got it _three_ times, sent by the _STAR commander_ _himself_."

"I know, but-"

"I settled for the Rangers because it is supposedly _safer_." I mocked. "You agreed, then throw another fussy fit when I applied for the 9th Regiment because specialising in Ground and Mountain Search and Rescue Operations is also _very dangerous_. You remember what I asked of you when you said that?"

"… You asked me to train you."

"_Damn right_." I hissed. "Because in your eyes, if I'm always that weak little girl that always needed saving, then I might as well learn from the best bird pokemon specialist in town on how to protect myself, right? Learn from Violet City's _prodigy_, the next budding _bird pokemon master_, the youngest trainer in Johto's history to ever be crowned as a Gym Leader. It was another compromise we had. You teach me and I learn from you, then you _drop_ the topic altogether like it never happened. We agreed on it, even did a pinky promise."

"It's a different ball game if you are now in the 1st Regiment." Falkner stood firm in his position, which got me really furious. "Skye, listen to me-"

"**_YOU_** LISTEN TO **_ME_** FOR **_ONCE_**!" I roared back, finger jabbing violently at his chest. "YOU ARE PROTECTIVE OF CIEL AND I, I GET IT! I FUCKING GET IT, _OKAY_?! YOU ARE A DAMN GOOD OLDER BROTHER, I KNOW! YOU ARE THE BEST OLDER BROTHER IN THIS WHOLE DAMN UNIVERSE! LIFE HAS BEEN HARD FOR ALL OF US EVER SINCE MUM DIED AND OUR SHITTY DAD UP AND DISAPPEARED! CIEL AND I WOULD HAVE STARVED TO DEATH IF IT WASN'T FOR YOU AND I REALLY RESPECT YOU FOR WHAT YOU DID FOR US! YOU ARE SCARED OF LOSING CIEL AND I AFTER WHAT HAPPENED TO OUR PARENTS, I UNDERSTAND! _BUT GIVE ME A FUCKING BREAK!_ YOU DON'T DICTATE HOW I WANT TO LIVE MY OWN LIFE! YOU DON'T DICTATE HOW CIEL WANTS TO LIVE HIS OWN LIFE! WE ARE OUR OWN PERSONS AND **_NO ONE_**, NOT EVEN **_YOU_**, HAVE THE RIGHT TO DECIDE WHAT'S BEST FOR **_US_**!"

I took a pause, still breathing heavily after my outburst.

"I really love my current job, Falkner." I whispered, my voice oddly hoarse. "I love being a Ranger, to be able to fly freely. To be able to save lives. To help maintain the delicate balance between humans and pokemon, makes me feel like I am part of the world's mightiest heroes or something."

I used the back of my hand to wipe away a few tears that had slid out.

"It is the same as how you love your job as Gym Leader and being a cop at the same time. We both live hectic lives and we rarely had time to spend with each other because of it, but we both love our jobs. I had listened to you. When it comes to my career, I had compromised many times because of you so _stop_. **_Stop_** deciding what's best for _me_ because what _you_ think is best for _me_ may not be what is best for _me_. Birds can never soar high in the skies if they are always caged in this-" I gestured a small little box with my hands. "-small little golden cage like a little pet."

"That's not what I mean, Skye. All I-"

"But that's what your actions are all about, wasn't it?" I bit back bitterly. "No matter how much I try to prove to you that I can take care of myself, your definition of safe will always be locking me up in a cage where you can watch me, where I can never fly out of your wings. Why else-" I pointed to the numerous medals and awards I had earned throughout my Ranger career, sitting in a glass cabinet at a corner of my room. "-do I try so hard? It was to get _you _to _acknowledge _me. I've flown more than 300 missions and I never failed a single one. What did I get in return? Your acknowledgement? No. What I got was the constant insinuations that I will always be the weak little girl that needs your protection."

I stood up, picking up my keys, wallet, and phone with me before stomping out of my room, Hawks, Emi, and Cotton trailing after me.

"Skye!"

My brother calling out my name got me to stop for a moment. I decide to leave him something to think about while we both take some time to clear our heads.

"You cannot protect me forever, Falkner. No one can give anyone else that kind of promise. Life's short, let me live it however I want it to be while I still have the chance to do so. Don't let me die a pathetic and unfulfilling death like Mum did. I don't want to be like Mum, I don't want to be that type of woman who hinges her happiness entirely on another guy. That useless guy who wasn't even there by her deathbed in her last moments."

I turned back to face my older brother.

"I don't need a cage to protect me. I can fly on my own."

With that, I left the house and headed for the big building at the back of our house where we let our pokemon fly freely, which we refer to as the aviary. Come to think about it, I haven't told Falkner about Aria's addition to my team. He doesn't seem like he knew about Aria joining my team from our earlier argument. He probably came straight to my room right after he read my message that I came back home, bypassing the aviary altogether.

A topic of discussion to take place at a later date. He might burst a blood vessel if I told him about Aria right now.

I muttered my own greeting to my team when they spotted me entering the aviary. I recalled everyone back to their pokeballs except for Crown.

"Find Ciel." I told Crown the moment I climbed onto his back. Sensing my mood, Crown gave me a comforting nudge with his head as a show of support before taking off into the air with a single flap of his massive wings, exiting the aviary through the special exit at the top of the building that is specially designed for our pokemon's use should they need a quick exit for whatever reasons. We trust them enough to not wander away from the aviary irresponsibly. Even if someone did, the older ones here will keep them in line and drag them back kicking and screaming if need be.

My long-awaited day off in a long while and another argument took place.

And my brothers wonder why I am a workaholic and rarely come home. Really, they should go get their IQ checked.

* * *

"Another argument with big bro?"

"That obvious?" I replied as my hand unconsciously tried to wipe away the non-existent tears away from my eyes. My little brother sat down opposite me across the table at a fast food joint that I had told him to come meet me at after he's done with school. Unlike us, Ciel decided not to be a pokemon trainer, so he goes to school for higher education. He's still undecided whether he should walk down the path of becoming a pokemon scientist or researcher. In any case, that line of work is something which Falkner wholeheartedly support and approve because it is _safe_.

"Your puffy red eyes told me everything I need to know." Ciel shrugged as his pidgeotto made himself comfortable on the floor beside Ciel's chair, chittering away with Emi and Cotton.

"Should have put on some makeup before I left the house then." I gritted out. "I definitely look like an ugly mess right now."

"Nah, you are still the city's number one beauty. Anyone who said otherwise must be blind." Ciel said through a mouth full of food as we both dug into our burgers. "Heard from big bro that you got yourself into the 1st Regiment. Congrats, sis."

"Thanks." I replied. "Do you have enough pocket money to spend? Anything that I need to help you with or need to know?"

"No for both. Big bro gave me more than enough to spend. He needs to stop shoving money into my wallet." Ciel said in a casual manner, even opening his wallet for me to see. It is indeed filled to the brim with money. Typical Falkner.

My eyes caught sight of the family photo Ciel had put in his wallet. It was shortly after Ciel was born, when our mother was still alive, when our father was still around from time to time. The three of us all have the same blue hair that we inherited from our father. I had the longest and silkiest hair which I usually tie into a ponytail so that it wouldn't get in my way during missions.

"Hello? You still there?"

"Yes. I'm still online." I mumbled as I pushed Ciel's offending hand away from my face that he obnoxiously waved about in front of my eyes. "Movie later? Falkner ruined my drama marathon."

"Only if you get salted popcorn."

"Sweet popcorn are the real thing." I insist. "Salted popcorn is-"

"Finish that sentence, and a civil war is the least you need to worry about."

"_I'm_ the one paying for the tickets."

"You are the one choosing which movie to watch. I should at least have the rights to choose what kind of popcorn we are eating later."

"Cheeky brat."

"Stingy hag."

"_Hag?_ Oh, it's so on, you rascal."

* * *

**AN:**** Since people are asking, yes, RftS's world is happening in the same world as RE, and also all the other pokemon fics I have. Hope this clears things up.**

**Hope you guys enjoy the story thus far.**

**Character and Pokemon list:**

**Name: Skye Bale, 16, Female**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 9****th**** Ranger Regiment, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Staff Sergeant**

**Code Name: Zephyr**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Pidgeot (Crown), male**

**2\. ****Gliscor (Glide), male**

**3\. ****Skarmory (Dia), female**

**4\. ****Crobat (Beats), male**

**5\. ****Jumpluff (Cotton), female**

**6\. ****Dragonite (Tino), female**

**7\. ****Noivern (Echo), male**

**8\. ****Emolga, (Emi), female **

**9\. ****Hawlucha (Hawk), male**

**10\. ****Sigilyph (Cosmo), female**

**11\. ****Aerodactyl (Aria), female**

**Name: Falkner Bale, 25, Male**

**Known affiliation: Johto Police Force, Johto Thirteen Pillars, Violet City Gym Leader**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Pidgeot (Majel), male**

**2\. ****Noctowl**

**3\. ****Fearow**

**4\. ****Dodrio**

**5\. ****Honchkrow**

**6\. ****Xatu**

**7\. ****Crobat**

**8\. ****Skarmory**

**9\. ****Delibird**

**10\. ****Togekiss **

**11\. ****Swellow**

**12\. ****Staraptor**

**13\. ****Pelipper**

**Name: Ciel Bale, 13, Male**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Pidgeotto (Queenie), female**

**Name: Walker Bale, 55, Male**

**Known affiliation: Ex Violet City Gym Leader, Ex member of Johto Thirteen Pillars**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Pidgeot**

**2\. ****Skarmory**

**Name: Jacky Marsh, 19, Male**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: First Lieutenant**

**Code Name: Venom**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Scolipede**

**2\. ****Crobat**

**3\. ****Tentacruel**

**4\. ****Nidoking**

**5\. ****Skuntank**

**6\. ****Venasaur**

**7\. ****Toxicroak**

**8\. ****Weezing**

**9\. ****Dragalge**

**10\. ****Beedrill**

**Name: Amy Rose, 17, Female**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Sergeant First Class**

**Code Name: Powergirl**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Furret**

**2\. ****Pidgeot**

**3\. ****Lopunny**

**4\. ****Ursaring**

**5\. ****Wigglytuff**

**6\. ****Exploud**

**7\. ****Blissey**

**8\. ****Tauros**

**9\. ****Miltank**

**10\. ****Cinccino **

**Name: Adam Clive, 20, Male**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Sergeant First Class**

**Code Name: Nightmare**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Houndoom**

**2\. ****Honchkrow**

**3\. ****Umbreon**

**4\. ****Weavile**

**5\. ****Shiftry**

**6\. ****Sableye**

**7\. ****Greninja**

**8\. ****Hydreigon**

**9\. ****Pangoro**

**10\. ****Krookodile**

**Name: Rufus Grandell, 21, Male**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Master Sergeant**

**Code Name: Torrent**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Poliwrath**

**2\. ****Kingdra**

**3\. ****Dewgong**

**4\. ****Gyarados **

**5\. ****Feraligatr**

**6\. ****Slowking **

**7\. ****Crawdaunt**

**8\. ****Floatzel**

**9\. ****Jellicent**

**10\. ****Golisopod**

**Name: Pyral Furnes, 38, Male**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Lieutenant Colonel**

**Code Name: Cremator **

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Typhlosion**

**2\. ****Arcanine**

**3\. ****Charizard**

**4\. ****Magmortar**

**5\. ****Magcargo **

**6\. ****Alolan Marowak **

**7\. ****Torkoal**

**8\. ****Infernape**

**9\. ****Emboar**

**10\. ****Pyroar**

**11\. ****Chandelure **


	6. Chapter 6- Bird Whisperer

"How's your off day?"

I looked up from where I am in the pokemon feeding room, feeding my pokemon food that is specially prepared for flying type pokemon. I spotted Jacky walking in as he released his own team as well, reaching for the cabinet to take out large bags of food that he uses to feed his poison types.

"It was off to a shitty start." I said, filling up Emi's food bowl before opening up another bag of pokemon food. "Got into another argument with my older brother. Nothing new there."

"Sorry to hear that." Jacky said sincerely after a brief period of silence. "May I ask why?"

"He doesn't like the idea of me being a Ranger. Threw a big fuss the moment he heard I got posted here." I gave the heavily censored version as we both go about feeding our pokemon. "He's the type who thinks that the safest place for me to be at is somewhere that he can lock me in and watch me 24/7."

"Sounds familiar." Jacky drawled as he tossed his toxicroak the last remaining piece of pellet in the bag before opening another one. "My parents aren't supportive of my career choice too, but they accepted it in the end. They still disapprove of me being a Ranger, but at least we are no longer yelling at each other."

"Sounds like this is a common problem Rangers face."

"It is." Jacky laughed it off as he poured an entire bag of pokemon food into his venasaur's gigantic food bowl. "There is even a Ranger group chat where people like us can rant to our heart's content about the problems we faced in getting our folks to accept our career choice. It's a haven where we can all unite under the shared pain, comparing who had it worse. Some of the stories make for some good entertainment. You want in?"

I cannot help but laugh at that.

"A group chat? Really?"

"No kidding." Jacky affirmed as he opened another bag of pokemon food to feed his nidoking. "Although if I am being honest, your older brother doesn't strike me as the type of person to oppose your career choice. I mean, he is a _Gym Leader_. I thought someone of his position would understand why we stick on with our jobs despite the danger. It's more than just the prestige and money that comes with it."

"_I know right_?" My voice went a few notes higher at that before letting out a sigh. "Then again, I know he's scared of losing me. We already lost our parents, so he's scared of losing me and Ciel. I can understand that, even if his actions felt suffocating to me. Don't get me wrong, I love my older brother. He was the one who practically raised us up after that shitty Dad of mine just disappeared into thin air after Mum died, but Falkner really needs to realise that it's time for him to let go."

The both of us ended up sitting side by side in the room, watching our pokemon eat to their heart's content as we wait for them to finish.

"Thanks, Jacky. Glad to know that I'm not alone."

"As a responsible second-in-command, it's my job to make sure that everyone in the team is in tip top shape." Jacky mock bragged, which earned him a roll of the eyes from me. "Funnily enough, it was Adam who first brought up that you were acting a little off, which led me to you."

"_Adam_?" I parroted in disbelief.

"Said something about you not arguing with him with those snarky quips of yours when he made a jab at you, which is abnormal in his books. He's actually very lovable once you got past his moody and edgy exterior. He's kind of cute, really. All bark and no bite."

Our attention was brought elsewhere when Aria walked up to me, her now empty metal food bowl in her mouth. She dropped it in front of me, her eyes full of expectance.

"Eat anymore and you might grow too fat to fly properly." I jabbed a finger at her bulging tummy. After the initial breaking in, it still took a whole month for me to get her to properly work with others in team exercises and another two weeks for her to cooperate with the rest of my Ranger friends and their pokemon, but Aria is surprisingly docile once you earned her respect. She acts like a domesticated growlithe when she's not snarling and snapping at your face. The researchers weren't expecting this kind of behaviour too, saying that this is not something that they had observed when she was still under their care in the research facility.

Her big expecting eyes and the slow swinging of her tail from side to side make her all sorts of adorable and cute. She's a bit of a glutton and doesn't know when to stop eating, so I have to constantly remind her of her food intake.

"Never thought I would have the chance to interact with a living prehistoric pokemon up close." Jacky mused as his hands ran across Aria's head, giving her a good rubbing. Just a month ago, nobody other than me could come close to her without her trying to bite their head off. Now, she acts like an adorable growlithe puppy whenever she's not out in the field.

"I wonder if there is a poison type prehistoric pokemon?" Jacky wondered, now using his hands to stroke Aria at an area at the back of her head near her neck. " If there's one, I won't even mind travelling to the other end of the world just to catch a glimpse of it."

"I will wait for that day to come, just so that I can see you try travelling through uncharted waters to find that pokemon, oh great explorer." I teased. This world is huge, a lot bigger than the one from my past life. There are only seven known regions thus far, eight if you include the mysterious Orre, and they make up only a quarter of the planet at most.

Venturing beyond your own region to search for the next new continent is extremely dangerous in this world. The vast seas and skies are filled with untamed wild pokemon, making inter-regional journeys by planes impossible. Journeys by ships are still the most common mode of transport people use for inter-regional travel, but even then, there are only a few known sea routes that ships uses because they are the only known safe routes.

Even then, there will still be the occasional news of a ship getting sunk in the middle of the sea from a wild pokemon attack. Sometimes it's accidental, like a wailord accidentally capsizing a ship by sneezing or a gyarados simply having a bad day. Sometimes, pokemon attack ships just… because. We don't always have all the answers.

This world is not as safe as it portrays itself to be. There are many hidden dangers lurking about that threatens the normalcy of our everyday lives. My job as a Ranger is to keep those dangers at bay while maintaining that delicate balance between humans and pokemon. Obviously, this job has elements of danger in it. The Ranger force suffers casualties every year, sometimes every month. If we are unlucky enough sometimes it happens every week. Sometimes it does not matter how hard we tried because things are just that dangerous sometimes, but _someone _has to try. This is the truth of what it really means to be a Ranger beneath all that prestige and glory.

I can understand where Falkner is coming from, I really do. But what pissed me off is his top down approach in the way he handled things, the _only-I-know-what-is-best-for-you_ holy attitude. It is how he never listened to me, it's how he is using the excuse of '_It's for your own good'_ as his default response to anything I say that really ticked me off.

Add that to years of accumulated disagreements from our differing views, his overprotective tendencies, my desire to fly high in the skies without restraints, and his blind idolism of our shitty Dad, you get an explosive mix of the Bale family drama.

"It will be lonely to travel across the world alone. It will be better if there's someone travelling with me." Jacky turned up the mood as he wagged a single eyebrow at me in a suggestive manner. How people managed to do that I would never know. I can only control my eyebrows in pairs, but never individually.

"Oh gosh, are you _hitting_ on me?" I did an exaggerated gasp, covering my mouth with a hand in a dramatic manner. "I will have you know that I am still legally underage, mind you."

"Not for long, and it's not against the law for a guy to flirt with a woman."

"Isn't flirting and picking up girls a Rufus thing? I didn't know you had it in you, Jacky."

"He is a bad influence."

"I also have an extremely protective older brother who is a _Gym Leader_. I don't know where and how Ciel comes into the picture, but he is ridiculously smart. I'm sure he can make your life very difficult even without lifting a single finger if he ever knows that you are trying to hit on me."

"Hmm." Jacky took on a thinking pose to show that he is deep in thought. "I think I will take my chances."

I stared at him as my brain came to a halt.

"Wait, are you for real?"

Jacky laughed out loud.

"What if it is, what if it isn't?"

"I'm sure that I don't want to be in a relationship right now, so I will politely reject you either way. Not that I find you unattractive, because you are, but I have enough drama in my life as it is."

"How about this? If by the time you are of age and both of us still aren't seeing anyone, we give it a go?"

I took a few seconds to think about it before shrugging my shoulders.

"Sure, why not? I'm warning you first though, Falkner will probably turn you into bird feed the first chance he gets."

Jacky imitate my shrug.

"What can I say? I'm a highly sought-after delicacy."

* * *

"Hey, did you happen to see a human male about this tall, blue eyes, brown hair?" I gestured with my hands to a random wild pidgey I found while my squadron spread ourselves out to search for the last missing hiker. There was an avalanche and a large group of hikers were caught up in it. We were tasked to find the group of hikers ASAP because winter is coming and no one wants to get stuck out in the wilderness in this weather.

Pun not intended, by the way. The winter is coming part, I mean.

"Zephyr, there's no fucking way a wild pidgey will-"

"Hush, you." I shushed Nightmare up as I cradled the small pidgey in my arms, gently stroking it with a hand. She's a girl from what I can tell. "Don't be mean to little pidgey, she has feelings too. And keep quiet, pidgey's talking."

The pidgey chirped a few times before using her wings to point in a certain direction.

"That way?" I asked, and my question was rewarded with a nod of her head. I signalled Crown to get up and fly from where I am riding on his back. In a second, we are already in the air.

"Here?" I asked, which the pidgey replied with a shake of her cute little head. I repeated the question a few times by pointing at different directions until I got an affirmative.

"Well, I'll be. You are now officially a bird whisperer." Nightmare commented when we finally found the last hiker, who could not move due to a broken leg. He had lost consciousness, which worried us when we first found him, but upon closer inspection, his life is not in immediate danger.

Thank whatever deity up there that he is still alive.

"I grow up among birds and flying types." I scoffed as Nightmare helped me to strap the unconscious hiker onto Echo's back, taking great care to not further aggravate the hiker's injury. "Getting them to talk to me is as easy as breathing."

"I grow up among dark types and you don't see me fucking conversing with them like grannies gossiping on the market." Nightmare said gruffly before doing a last safety check to ensure that the hiker is being properly and safely strapped on Echo's back. Once satisfied, he gave me a thumbs up and I signalled for Echo to go ahead first. Echo gently nuzzled me with his head before taking off into the air, his passenger safely strapped on his back.

Nightmare reached for the earpiece in his ear.

"Cremator, this is Nightmare. The pipsqueak and I found the last hiker, we are sending him your way on her noivern's back. He is unconscious and has a broken leg, but it shouldn't be anything too life threatening."

"This is Cremator. Copy that. Now quickly get your asses back in here before the blizzard comes. That goes for the rest of you. Cremator over and out."

"_Pipsqueak_?" I crossed my arms and looked up at Nightmare.

"You are shorter than me." Nightmare jumped up onto his hydreigon's back as I climbed back up onto Crown's. I took out a Oran berry from the pocket of my jacket and gave it to the pidgey.

"Thanks for your help! You may want to hurry back to your nest. A blizzard may be coming."

The wild pidgey gave another chirp as she took the Oran berry with her little feet before disappearing into the woods.

"Crazy bird whisperer."

"Trust me, it's easy. You want me to teach you the ways of the language of the birds? I can teach you, o young one."

"I don't think you understand, you dumb birdbrain." Nightmare cut me off as our pokemon flew side by side at a leisurely pace. "No one should be able to talk to pokemon so easily like that. What you did was like you have a fucking superpower or something."

I looked at him quizzically.

"I've always been able to talk to flying types like that. And it's not like I understand what they are talking about. I ask them a question, then we start playing charades."

"Maybe it's because it's so fucking natural for you that you don't realise it yourself." Nightmare continued on his tirade as I kept my body low and closer to Crown's back to hide myself better from the frigid cold wind. "I've always found it odd how flying types, not just bird type pokemon, mind you, tend to open themselves up to you so easily. And it's not just me." Nightmare quickly added the last part when I was about to protest. "The rest of the squad agrees with me too. We just never told you about it."

"So, you think I have some sort of superpower that allows flying types to be more trusting towards me?" I said in the most sarcastic voice I have. "Wow. Yay. Because I'm so _special_. Wait, anyone could do it too if they live with flying types their whole lives!"

I might have been a bit of an ass when I said that last sentence dramatically in faux realisation, but in my defence, there's no need to be polite with potty mouth Adam.

"That aerodactyl of yours. You only needed one or two hours to get it to listen to you. It's not fucking possible, man."

"Well, I did the impossible, because I _know_ what I'm doing _because_ I've been living with flying types _my whole life_."

"I needed one entire week to get this bad boy here to even pay me any attention. You know how notorious his species are when it comes to taming them." Adam pointed at the hydreigon he is riding on, who replied in a weird rumble which I think is its way of laughing. "And that's when he's still a little deino."

"Just admit that you suck at it."

"_Excuse you_, fuckwad, very few trainers can boast to get a deino to mind them in _just_ a week. Many trainers take at least a month or two to get one of these bad boys to even consider listening to them."

"Anything we missed?"

Powergirl, Venom, and Torrent joined us in the air as we flew in a Card Five formation. Powergirl has a pidgeot, similar to me. Venom's crobat attached itself to its trainer's back to transport Venom around while Torrent wedge himself onto his kingdra's back somehow. I know kingdras are capable of a certain degree of flight, but I've never seen one that can fly at such high altitudes and speed before.

Goes to show how well-trained Torrent's kingdra is.

"Telling birdbrain that her ability to get flying types to trust her is absolutely freaky and unnatural, but her pea-sized brain doesn't give her enough intellectual capacity to believe a single fucking word I said."

"Adam is actually right, you know." Rufus said from his position at my eight o'clock.

"He should phrase his words a little better though. I don't think it's freaky at all. In fact, it's so cool!" Powergirl cheered excitedly from my front left, pumping a fist into the air. "Imagine if I have the ability to get all normal types to-"

Crown suddenly screeched out a cry and immediately, our pokemon all did a sharp turn to scatter and break formation. A massive flamethrower torched the area where we were at just a second ago.

"WHAT THE FLYING FUCK?!"

"Don't shout through the comms!" Was what I heard next. This voice belongs to Venom.

"Eeeek! CHARIZARD! RUN RUN RUN!"

"Kingdra, Water Pulse!"

"WHY THE FUCK IS THERE A FUCKING CHARIZARD HERE?!"

"This is Cremator! What the hell is going on?!"

"There's a charizard attacking us, Sir!" I replied to the comms when I finally spotted said charizard in the air when Crown caught up to the rest of my squadron. They are all caught up in a dogfight in the air with the charizard with no way to fight back. Venom, Powergirl, and Torrent only have one pokemon each that they can use in an aerial battle, which are the ones that they are using to fly right now. They have no options to launch a counterattack.

"Zephyr!"

"I'm on it! Tino, Aria!"

I released Tino and Aria for battle immediately. Aerial battle is my specialty, not theirs. My comrades are sitting ducks in the air. Their pokemon cannot fight back effectively in the sky. I also cannot send out too many fliers against one single foe or there would be friendly fire instead from the congestion. Tino and Aria will have to do.

"Get to base now while I hold the charizard off! None of you other than maybe potty mouth can handle the charizard in an aerial battle!"

"You heard the pipsqueak! The three of you hurry back to base, you will only be a burden to us here! And get the Commander here! He knows how to handle a charizard! I will back birdbrain up!" Nightmare yelled out as he released his honchkrow for battle. "Just our fucking luck!"

"I'm on my way!" Our Commander's voice could be heard through the radio. "I've got a lock on your location! Don't get too close in an aerial battle with a charizard! Keep your distance!"

I couldn't spare much attention to the rest of my squadron. Tino and Aria are already locked in a fierce battle with an angry charizard. Tino is more than capable of taking on the charizard one-on-one, but we have to take extra precautions to ensure that the charizard doesn't escape to try and chase down Venom, Powergirl, and Torrent.

"Aria, Ancient Power!"

A blast of energy from Aria knocked the charizard back just as Tino pressed on with a Dragon Claw.

"Tailwind! Make it harder for him to fly! Retain aerial superiority!"

Aria whipped up a turbulent whirlwind that makes it easier for all pokemon on our side to fly while simultaneously making it harder for charizard to move about in the air. Nightmare's honchkrow is also getting its own attacks in when the opportunity arises, further annoying the charizard. Hopefully, the charizard will back down on its own. We can put down the charizard, but we don't want to do so because as Rangers, we are not supposed to interfere with the natural order of things. If the apex predator of the area was taken down, it may have adverse effects on the ecological system of the area.

Although at this rate, we may not have a choice.

"Aria, Smack Down!"

A harsh whip of the tail by Aria managed to knock the charizard out of the air. The rest of our pokemon followed up by firing ranged attacks of their own, sending the charizard spiralling down back to the ground.

Time to run.

"Let's go!"

However, another cone of hot flames cut our escape off as the charizard flew up into the skies again. A massive Heat Wave would have burnt us all if Aria didn't put up a Wide Guard in time.

"Oh come on! We just want to go back home!" Nightmare complained as his hydreigon fired three different attacks simultaneously with its three heads.

"Grab onto your hydreigon tight! Call back your honchkrow! Tino, Aria, to me!"

"What are you planning, pipsqueak?!"

"Aria, Whirlwind!"

A massive gust of wind was conjured, blowing the charizard away in one single sweep.

"Couldn't you have done that earlier?!"

"I forgot!"

"You **_FORGOT_**?!"

_"I'm sorry! Okay?!"_

The two of us quickly flew out of the area. Tino and Aria brought up the rear as I turned back every few seconds to check if the charizard is in hot pursuit.

"You think that damn fire lizard is gone?" Nightmare said in a soft voice after a tense half a minute.

"I hope so." I mumbled back. "I heard that charizards in the wild tend to go to the extreme when chasing their prey. Why is there even one here? Charizards are super rare."

"That charizard seemed trained. Either its trainer died and it was released here after the trainer's death, or someone released a fucking charizard here for shit and giggles. That charizard got to be wild, this attack is too random to be planned. We probably unknowingly crossed its territory or some shit like that. Just our luck to be in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Still think we should report it to the higher ups for them to take note of that charizard. It will be dangerous for anyone to come here. We may even need to cordon off the area entirely. Imagine if another search and rescue operation was conducted here with the charizard around…"

"We are bloody lucky that it didn't find us while we were searching for the hiker dude."

"Yeah, so many things could have-"

My words were cut off prematurely when Crown suddenly did a barrel roll in the air and forcefully threw me off his back, leaving me to free fall in the sky. When I looked up, it was just in time that I saw a hot blast of fire scoring a direct hit on Crown from above the clouds. Crown had used his own body to protect me from harm.

_That charizard! It gave chase to us from above us! Hidden by the clouds and the low visibility provided by the snowy weather!_

"CROWN!"

I yelled out in worry as I quickly recalled Crown back to his pokeball. He is in no condition to continue fighting after taking a direct hit like that. I can see the charizard diving down after me, ignoring everyone else in its mindless rage. Tino and Aria are in hot pursuit together with Nightmare right after them.

I will really die if I don't do something soon.

"Dia! Metal Sound! Glide, Giga Impact!"

I released my skarmory and gliscor next. Dia let out an uncomfortable screeching sound to provide a brief opening for Glide to ram himself into the charizard, sending it right into Tino's waiting arms. Aria bypassed the crowd and quickly caught me, allowing me to safely land on her back.

It's time for our counterattack.

"Pipsqueak!"

"I'm fine! You head back first! This is going to be too fast for you to keep up!"

There was a harsh silence that lasted a total of a single second. I can imagine Nightmare thinking really hard about his options in the confines of my head. A foul-mouthed individual he may be, but he cares for his comrades.

However, he is of no help in an aerial battle against an aggressive and obviously trained charizard that had been released here for whatever unknown reasons.

"I will get the Commander here asap!"

I saw Nightmare's hydreigon turned and headed off in another direction. Good, now it's time for me to put the charizard in its place.

"Tino, get it down on the ground! Extreme Speed! Go!"

Tino dived down towards the ground in a burst of speed, the charizard still struggling in her arms. The rest of us followed suit.

A large cloud of dust and snow was kicked up when Tino threw the charizard down into the ground. Aria and Glide followed up with a Rock Slide while Tino shot a Thunder Wave to clip charizard's wings.

A huge Inferno was belched out from charizard's maw, which my team evaded with no problems. My heavy hitters couldn't get in close safely with all the flames the charizard was spewing out until Dia hit the charizard with another Metal Sound, allowing Tino the chance to head right in with an Aqua Jet. After a brief struggle, Tino managed to bodily pin the charizard down onto the ground. Glide held his pincer-like claws at charizard's neck, hissing at it to dare to try anything.

"We are not here to fight. We are just passing by." I spoke slowly with my hands up in front of me in a placating manner, still riding on Aria's back as she hovered in the air. "I'm sorry if we accidentally passed by your territory or something, we will get out of here immediately if you would let us go."

I don't know how long the charizard and I stared at each other in silence, but it stopped growling out threats soon enough and remained still.

"Tino, Glide, let it go."

Slowly and carefully, Tino and Glide got off the charizard. The charizard slowly stood up before gazing at us warily. It gave another huff, smoke puffing out of its nostrils, before spreading its wings and disappearing into the skies.

I heaved a sigh of relief.

"That's enough action for the entire day." I commented as we took off into the air once more, quickly finding our way back to base. I had lost my earpiece somewhere within all that struggle, probably lost it while I was free falling in the sky. I couldn't radio my squadron. Hopefully I didn't worry them from the sudden lack of contact.

I saw another charizard in the distance ahead of us. My team and I tensed up at the sight but relaxed when we saw a familiar figure riding it.

"Zephyr!" Commander Pyral called out to me when he got close. "Answer your damn comms!"

"I lost it!" I yelled back to him over the harsh winds, a single finger pointing to the lack of the equipment that should be attached to my ear.

We managed to reach our temporary base of operations after another fifteen minutes of flight. The injured hikers were all sent here after we found them. Paramedics and other Rangers are also everywhere in the base, trying to keep everything in order.

Not every hiker survived the avalanche. We had to transport quite a number of dead bodies back.

I reunite with Echo, who had done a splendid job in escorting the injured hiker we found back here. The moment the doctor on site cleared me and I handed Crown over to the pokemon nurse to heal him back up, I headed for the briefing room. I owe my life to Crown for using his own body to shield me from that charizard's attack. I would have died if he didn't protect me when he did.

Pokemon really are man's best friend.

Amy glomped me in a hug the moment I entered the briefing room.

"We were so worried! You weren't answering the comms at all and-"

"I'm fine, Amy, I beat that charizard back. I'm fine." I reassured her as I patted her on the back.

"Glad to see that you came back unscathed. Hey, how about a date to celebrate? Just you and I?" Rufus joked, lightening the mood immediately.

"I'm underage." I replied, and Rufus' hand clutched the area over his heart dramatically upon my reply as if experiencing a heartache.

"How did you chase that stupid charizard away?" Adam asked.

"Maybe she caught it like how she caught the aerodactyl?"

At Jacky's speculation, everyone turned to stare at me.

"Ha. Ha. Very funny." I shot back as Amy finally let go of me. "Why would I want to catch an overly aggressive charizard that has so many bad flying habits that I lost count of it? Whoever its trainer was, he or she doesn't know a thing when it comes to training a pokemon for aerial battle."

Seriously, that charizard was strong in terms of raw strength, but it wasn't very good in an aerial battle. The only reason it got Crown with a huge ball of fire was because it launched a sneak attack. We would have a much harder time trying to beat it back if it actually knew how to fly properly. Its previous trainer must be an idiot.

"I'm actually interested in how you got rid of it." Commander Pyral drawled in his usual monotone. "It's a possibly highly territorial charizard that we are talking about. You don't just beat it back."

I scratched the back of my head.

"I… uh… talked to it?"

There was a muted silence in the room.

"You… _talked_ to it?" Pyral repeated my words slowly.

"Uh… yeah?" I replied. "What else would you have me do? I cannot just defeat it and leave it unconscious on the ground. What if some other pokemon ate it up while it was defenceless? That goes against our Ranger code."

"Do you even know how… _impossible_ your words sound?" Rufus spoke up. "You don't just _talk_ to an aggressive charizard that was out for your blood seconds ago and convince it to let you go."

"Tino and Glide were pinning the charizard down and hissing threats at it that I'm sure promised bodily harm." I replied sarcastically. "That might have helped."

"If it were any other pokemon, I might have believed it." Pyral cut in with a firm voice. "But charizards are prideful creatures, especially those in the wild. They don't bow down to anyone. They rather go down fighting in a ball of fire than to let their foe leave unscathed. This isn't normal behaviour for a charizard, trained or wild. When a charizard goes on a rampage, which it obviously did, they no longer listen to reason. When it comes to that, only its trainer might be able to rein it in and keep it in line and that's a huge '_what-if'_. Rufus is right. You don't just **_talk_** a charizard into letting you go without a fight."

"I fucking _told_ you shitheads that she's a bird whisperer." Adam muttered.

"Technically, charizards are _not_ birds." Amy corrected.

"That's not the point here, airhead. You know what the fuck I'm talking about."

"As unbelievable Skye's words are, I trust her." Pyral stopped the argument before it escalated further. "What matters is that our mission is completed and everyone is back safe and sound. I will need to write the mission report differently because no one would ever believe me if I wrote that Skye _verbally convinced a charizard to let her go_. So, here's what we will do."

Upon seeing that he had gotten our attention with his words, Pyral continued.

"Whatever Skye told us today in this room stays in this room. If anyone asked, her flying types were too fast for the charizard to catch up and that's how she escaped, got it?"

"Yes, Sir!"

I don't see what's the big deal about the fact that I convinced a charizard to let us go peacefully, but if they want to cover it up, then so be it.

"So…" Rufus nudged me with his elbow the moment Pyral left the briefing room to get his coffee, mumbling incoherent words that I suspect to be something about an oncoming migraine and needing even more coffee. "You have some sort of superpower? The power of a bird whisperer?"

"I think it's more like the ability to get any flying types to listen to her, but bird whisperer sounds better." Jacky mused.

"Best name for a birdbrain."

"And I'm telling you guys. It's NOT a superpower." I threw my hands up in exasperation. "If you lived among flying types your entire life, it's second nature to be able to understand them and get them to listen to you!"

"She's living in denial." Amy pointed a finger at me while looking at the rest of the squadron. "What she just said was the very definition of a bird whisperer."

"I told you I'm NOT a bird- UGH! Fine, whatever. Suit yourselves. I hate you guys anyway."

The rest of my squadron merely roared in laughter.

* * *

**Name: Skye Bale, 16, Female**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 9****th**** Ranger Regiment, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Staff Sergeant**

**Code Name: Zephyr**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Pidgeot (Crown), male**

**2\. ****Gliscor (Glide), male**

**3\. ****Skarmory (Dia), female**

**4\. ****Crobat (Beats), male**

**5\. ****Jumpluff (Cotton), female**

**6\. ****Dragonite (Tino), female**

**7\. ****Noivern (Echo), male**

**8\. ****Emolga, (Emi), female **

**9\. ****Hawlucha (Hawk), male**

**10\. ****Sigilyph (Cosmo), female**

**11\. ****Aerodactyl (Aria), female**

**Name: Falkner Bale, 25, Male**

**Known affiliation: Johto Police Force, Johto Thirteen Pillars, Violet City Gym Leader**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Pidgeot (Majel), male**

**2\. ****Noctowl**

**3\. ****Fearow**

**4\. ****Dodrio**

**5\. ****Honchkrow**

**6\. ****Xatu**

**7\. ****Crobat**

**8\. ****Skarmory**

**9\. ****Delibird**

**10\. ****Togekiss **

**11\. ****Swellow**

**12\. ****Staraptor**

**13\. ****Pelipper**

**Name: Ciel Bale, 13, Male**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Pidgeotto (Queenie), female**

**Name: Walker Bale, 55, Male**

**Known affiliation: Ex Violet City Gym Leader, Ex member of Johto Thirteen Pillars**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Pidgeot**

**2\. ****Skarmory**

**Name: Jacky Marsh, 19, Male**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: First Lieutenant**

**Code Name: Venom**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Scolipede**

**2\. ****Crobat**

**3\. ****Tentacruel**

**4\. ****Nidoking**

**5\. ****Skuntank**

**6\. ****Venasaur**

**7\. ****Toxicroak**

**8\. ****Weezing**

**9\. ****Dragalge**

**10\. ****Beedrill**

**Name: Amy Rose, 17, Female**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Sergeant First Class**

**Code Name: Powergirl**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Furret**

**2\. ****Pidgeot**

**3\. ****Lopunny**

**4\. ****Ursaring**

**5\. ****Wigglytuff**

**6\. ****Exploud**

**7\. ****Blissey**

**8\. ****Tauros**

**9\. ****Miltank**

**10\. ****Cinccino **

**Name: Adam Clive, 20, Male**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Sergeant First Class**

**Code Name: Nightmare**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Houndoom**

**2\. ****Honchkrow**

**3\. ****Umbreon**

**4\. ****Weavile**

**5\. ****Shiftry**

**6\. ****Sableye**

**7\. ****Greninja**

**8\. ****Hydreigon**

**9\. ****Pangoro**

**10\. ****Krookodile**

**Name: Rufus Grandell, 21, Male**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Master Sergeant**

**Code Name: Torrent**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Poliwrath**

**2\. ****Kingdra**

**3\. ****Dewgong**

**4\. ****Gyarados **

**5\. ****Feraligatr**

**6\. ****Slowking **

**7\. ****Crawdaunt**

**8\. ****Floatzel**

**9\. ****Jellicent**

**10\. ****Golisopod**

**Name: Pyral Furnes, 38, Male**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Lieutenant Colonel**

**Code Name: Cremator **

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Typhlosion**

**2\. ****Arcanine**

**3\. ****Charizard**

**4\. ****Magmortar**

**5\. ****Magcargo **

**6\. ****Alolan Marowak **

**7\. ****Torkoal**

**8\. ****Infernape**

**9\. ****Emboar**

**10\. ****Pyroar**

**11\. ****Chandelure **


	7. Chapter 7- Cold Encounter

"That one?"

"A little baby-face for me. How about the one beside him?"

"Oooh, those abs! I can see them through his shirt! Yes!" Amy squealed quietly as we walked side by side, giggling away as we wormed our way through the crowd with the guys behind us.

"See that guy over there? Red hair, black shirt? That ass, Skye, I tell you. _That ass._"

"Best ass in Johto." I agreed. Thank goodness we are both wearing shades. It helps us to ogle at guys without getting caught out in public.

"Then there's the guy over by the gate. See those muscular arms? I can touch those the entire day." Amy sighed dreamily, leaning her head to rest on my shoulder in a dramatic manner.

"Blonde dude at our ten o'clock." I nudged her subtly with my elbow before leaning my head down to whisper in Amy's ear. "He's _hot_."

Amy tried her best to be subtle as we purposely slowed down our pace so that we can observe our eye candy for a little longer. The moment we are out of earshot, she immediately gave another quiet squeal.

_"He's **hot**!"_

"I told you so. I have good taste."

"When I was told that we were going on a team outing, I wasn't expecting to play fucking babysitter to you two shitheads while you are ogling at guys." Adam's nasty voice sounded right behind us, but the two of us are used to it by this point.

"Oh, shush, Adam boy." Amy cut him off with a wave of her hand. "Why? Jealous that we are not ogling at you instead?"

"Oh_ hell no_." Adam denied all accusations immediately. "But if the whole point of this 'team outing' is for you two to ogle at guys, then I'm going home right now."

"Lighten up a little, will you?" Rufus bumped his shoulder into Adam's light-heartedly. "It's not often that we get to take a break and do whatever we want. Let them ogle at whoever they want to. Hey, ladies, what about me? Am I good looking enough to pass your eye candy test?"

"Sorry, Rufus, but you get a consolation prize at most." Amy flatly turned Rufus down with a hand. "No offense."

"Ah, damn. Was I even close?"

"Nope." I replied with a cheeky grin before Amy and I burst out laughing again.

"Where's Jacky? And where's boss for the matter too?"

"Over there." Adam pointed to a corner. Jacky is over there with a professional looking camera, trying to take the best shot of the flower that had caught his fancy. Our commander is looking as though he is sleeping on his feet, a thermos flask in hand that we all know contains his hot coffee. He never goes anywhere without his coffee.

The Johto region is home to a wide and diverse range of pokemon. There are many places in our region that are designated as nature reserves to be protected because of that. The one we are visiting right now, the Cherrygrove Nature Reserve, is one such place.

The six of us flash our individual Ranger Pass at the ticket ticker stationed at the entrance. Perks of being a Ranger includes benefits like this. We are given free passes to our region's nature reserves, because we are the ones who are protecting and maintaining the ecological balance of the place.

Our experienced eyes spotted the Rangers stationed in the nature reserve for the day, ensuring that no conflicts would happen and to protect both the visitors and wild pokemon from harming each other. In the nature reserve, visitors with pokemon are only allowed to release one pokemon per person to stay by their side. Of course, there are rules and regulations on what kinds of pokemon you can choose to accompany you. Allowing a visitor to stroll through the nature reserve with his pet onix is definitely a big no for obvious reasons. I decide to let Cosmo out, since she seems interested at seeing what a nature reserve truly is.

"Look, cloysters! You don't get to see them out of the waters very often!" Amy whispered excitedly as she pointed at a group of shellders and cloysters floating at the surface of the lake right below the bridge we are on. The surface of the lake is covered with a thin layer of ice as it is the winter season right now.

"Seels and dewgongs too. Look." Jacky pointed to somewhere not very far from the cloysters. "They must have swam here through the seas to enjoy the colder waters."

"Wow, look at all the ice types, popping out left and right because it's winter._ So interesting_. Clap clap clap." Adam drawled in a monotone.

As usual, nobody paid Adam any mind. Jacky is already trying to take pictures of wild pokemon in their natural habitat, adjusting the angle of his camera to get the best shot.

"The sneasels look so comfortable up in the trees. I want to join them." Our commander spoke up suddenly in a wistful tone, looking up at the trees ahead with a look of longing. True enough, there are a small group of sneasels taking an afternoon nap on the branches.

"Boss, this is a _team outing_! You need to look more _alive_!" Amy said with genuine passion.

"In case you can't tell, I **_am _**alive."

"Could have fooled us."

"Cheeky brat."

The six of us walked deeper into the reserve, following the route that the Rangers had deemed safe for the visitors to travel on and is watching everyone with a careful eye. The last thing anybody needs is for anyone to disturb the wild pokemon here. Doing so might cause some of them to lash out on instinct.

Some of the wild pokemon here are obviously more used to human contact. There are groups of wild pokemon that are not the least afraid of humans. There is a small flock of pidgeys and pidgeottos who ate the food offered to them right from the hands of the children who are visiting the area with their parents. There is also a small pack of sneasel who straight up demanded food from any passing humans. They tried to see if they could get food from any of us, but a snarl from Adam's houndoom sent them running off soon enough.

"How many pictures you got?" I leaned my head closer to Jacky to see just what kind of pictures that he had just taken with his camera.

"Quite a number." He replied as he quickly browsed through them. "There is a beauty to capturing pictures of pokemon when they are at their most natural and relaxed. Mother nature sure is beautiful."

"That she is." I agreed.

"Hey, Jacky! You might want to take a picture of this." Rufus said softly to not scare the wild pokemon here while pointing to a rocky cliff ahead. Right there is a small group of aipoms playing with the accumulated snow without a care in the world, their excited chattering filling the silence. It's not just us. Other visitors had also stopped to observe the aipoms in their natural habitat.

"Thanks, Rufus." Jacky immediately got down to business with a single knee, adjusting the camera in his hands. With a silent click, another photo was taken.

"Wait, we haven't got a team picture yet, right?" Amy voiced out. "We totally need one!"

"Alright, get in line. Time for a selfie." Jacky reversed the grip on his camera as we all hurriedly gathered to have our faces taken in the picture. Adam and Pyral looked less than thrilled, but we strong armed them into it anyway.

"Say Blaaacccckk!"

And there was the click of the shutter.

"Damn fucking lame." Adam complained the moment we let him go.

"Stop acting like a little tsundere." Amy chided as she slapped him on the arm. "It gets boring after the first week."

"_Tsundere_? That's it. You are so dead, you-"

The sudden broadcast announcement throughout the entire nature reserve got us all on high alert immediately.

_"Attention, all visitors. Please follow the Rangers on duty and head right for the exit immediately. This is not a drill. I repeat, this is not a drill. Attention all-"_

A brief second of silence descended on us as the rest of the visitors broke out into worried whispers and murmurs. I know our squadron was 'cursed' with shitty luck as can be seen from the types of missions and shenanigans we got ourselves into, willingly or not, but this takes the cut.

We are on a _team outing_ for crying out loud. We are supposed to be _off duty_.

"Boss?" Rufus turned to our commander, who also has a similar scowl on his face. From the looks of it, even _he _doesn't appreciate getting dragged into emergencies on his day off, and this situation is definitely an emergency from how the Rangers stationed here suddenly broadcasted an announcement like that. You don't broadcast an announcement like that in public because it will incite a panic. Such an arrangement is a last resort.

For the Rangers stationed here to decide to do it, whatever had happened must be something big.

"Excuse me, we are from the 1st Regiment." Pyral flashed his own Ranger Pass that had his vocation and rank printed on it at the nearest Ranger on duty. "Is there anything we can do to help?"

"U-Uh, no, I-I mean yes Sir!" The Ranger that Pyral had intercepted and sprung this news on stuttered a little when he caught sight of how high Pyral's rank when he read it from his Ranger pass. "Let me radio my superior about this. He knows the situation better than I do."

"Thank you." Pyral said in a flat voice.

Before long, the Ranger is leading us to a small building hidden in the middle of the reserve. It is a building for authorised personnel only.

"Lieutenant Colonel. Nice to have you here." A middle-aged Ranger who I assume is the one in charge shook hands with our commander, who returned the gesture.

"Major Rumsky." Pyral greeted before going right down to business. "What's the situation on hand?"

Major Rumsky's face turned grim, but pulled up a picture on the big screen in the room.

"What the-"

It's horrible.

On the picture were two Rangers, lying on the snow covered ground, facial features no longer recognisable because their heads were caved in. The snow around them are dyed in a deep scarlet red and their surroundings look as if everything around them were smashed by something using blunt force. From the looks of their mangled bodies, I have a sinking suspicion that their bodies were the ones being used to smash everything around them.

"They are part of the newest batch of Rangers posted here that I had to train, but they are not weak." Major Rumsky stated as the profiles of the two Rangers, Jennifer Skelder and Thomas Granton, came up on the screen. "When they hadn't radioed in during their check-in times, I sent another pair of Rangers to check on them. That's when we confirmed they went MIA because we cannot find them on their assigned route. That scene is what my Rangers found after another half an hour. Their dead bodies were located about half a kilometer off their usual patrol route."

"No signs of resistance?"

"None we could find. We suspect that the two of them were taken out by surprise, probably dead before…" Major Rumsky pointed to the destruction shown in the picture on the screen. "... that. It's like the pokemon purposely mutilated their bodies to make a statement. I have already sent my men to recover their bodies."

Even the most vicious of pokemon don't just suddenly kill humans for no apparent reason. The two murdered Rangers were obviously targeted on purpose. If there is something out there that is strong enough to take out two Rangers without a sound and leave no traces behind, then it is definitely a big cause for concern. The location where the bodies of the two Rangers were found is also too close to the main route that visitors travel on when visiting the nature reserve. Getting members of the public to leave ASAP suddenly sounds justified. A proper sweep to find the savage and bloodthirsty pokemon behind this can only be done if civilians are out of the way.

"Any idea what might have did this?"

"Negative." Major Rumsky gritted his teeth, his fists clenched. "Not even footprints. According to what we found, there was evidence on the scene that whatever pokemon that did this was clever enough to cover its tracks. This pokemon in question is at least knowledgeable in how we humans do things. It's both crafty and strong."

"An unknown then. Most likely a predator type too."

"I had been in charge of this area for seven years and this is the first time I saw any pokemon exhibiting behaviours like _this_." Major Rumsky turned back to look at us with a serious look on his face. "Whatever this is, I suspect it might be a recent addition to the area."

"Ho-oh bless us all if this is a case of abandoned pokemon going on a rampage." Rufus muttered. "Its hatred for humans might have been justified if that was the case."

"That's what I'm worried about too." Major Rumsky sighed. "If worse comes to worst, we might have to put it down for good."

"Do you have extra uniform and gear that you can lend me and my team?" Pyral cut in. "We are not exactly suitably dressed for mission right now."

"We always have extra sets of uniforms and gear on hand for emergencies. Jon will guide you there. Jon!" Major Rumsky bellowed out. A young looking Ranger squeaked in affirmation before hurriedly leading us to the room where we can hurry and change into the extra sets of uniforms on hand.

"First time?" Jacky asked Jon as he guided us through the narrow walkway, who nodded nervously in reply.

"N-Not even my first month into being a Ranger, Sir." Jon squeaked out. "I'm new. T-Those two… they were my friends from the Ranger academy. I… I-!"

"Don't worry. We will get to the bottom of this."

"Stop the chit chat and hurry with it. We need to suit up ASAP." Pyral ordered as he picked up a set of uniform and gear that is of his size.

Five minutes later, the entire Black Squadron of the 1st Regiment reconvened in the meeting room earlier, decked out in the Ranger uniform we loaned from the Rangers stationed at the Cherrygrove Nature Reserve and ready to be deployed at a moment's notice.

"This is definitely _not_ what I have in mind when you guys said that we are going on a team outing." Adam emphasised as he put on a helmet. We all unanimously opted to get helmets after seeing how the two Rangers got their heads caved in. I also managed to find a pair of goggles to protect my eyes and a face mask to protect my face from the frigid cold when I take my position in the air later.

"Lieutenant Colonel, can your team find this pokemon?"

"You are misunderstanding something, Major." Pyral said in his no-nonsense voice that he only uses during missions. "We are the Black squadron from the 1st Regiment. It's not a matter of whether we _can _find this pokemon. We **_will _**find this pokemon and we _will _bring it down should it prove to be too savage to be reasoned with."

Pyral turned around and walked past us, heading for the door.

"Black Squadron, move out."

* * *

"Anyone got eyes on anything special?"

"Negative, Sir." I replied through the comms, and my response was also repeated by the others. We had split up to cover more ground, manually doing an aerial search in hopes to find out whatever had so mercilessly killed our fellow Rangers in such a violent manner.

We are all more fired up than usual. Whatever that pokemon is, it had just made that attack personal.

"This is Powergirl. I spotted a localised snowstorm, it might even be hail. It looks a lot like the Snow Warning ability to me, and from the size and power of it, whatever had done it looks like a very strong one. It might be the bogey that we are searching for."

"Stay in the air and don't engage. Everyone, to Powergirl's location right now."

"Sir?"

"Very few pokemon have the Snow Warning ability, and none of them are native to Indigo. That bogey _cannot _be from the nature reserve. Given the state of destruction we saw from the picture, there is only one pokemon that comes to mind."

"And that is?" Torent probed further.

"An abomasnow, and an extremely violent one at that. I will handle it personally, the rest of you provide me some support and help me see if there are more. Torrent, you are on firefighter duty should things go out of hand on my side."

"Yes, Sir!"

I was the first one to reach Powergirl's location. I peered down below from Crown's back, spotting the massive localised snowstorm that she was talking about.

It is also getting steadily bigger.

"That's definitely the work of a pokemon." Venom stated the moment he arrived. Torrent, Nightmare, and Cremator arrived not long after.

"I spotted it. Cremator's right. It is an abomasnow." I declared after managing to spot the pokemon through the massive snowstorm using the binoculars that I borrowed from the Rangers here.

"What the hell is an abomasnow doing here?" Nightmare asked impatiently. "This doesn't make any sense!"

"Someone obviously released it here. A case of improper release of pokemon, that's what this is."

"I know abomasnows are hunters and they are aggressive, but is it normal for them to kill two humans on sight though?"

"No, it's not. It's what we are going to get to the bottom to." Cremator said before turning to Venom. "If anything else pops up, you take temporary control. Clear?"

Venom saluted in affirmation and Cremator dove right down with his charizard. Seconds later, flashes of fire and ice clashed with each other. Cremator had released several of his fire types out for battle, but is taking great care to not use the bigger and flashier moves in case he started a forest fire.

"That abomasnow is well trained." Nightmare stated as we all observe the battle below, keeping watch to ensure that there won't be any surprises lurking nearby. "Funny how anyone will willingly release such a pokemon."

"Maybe its trainer passed away and it ended up here. We will have to go through the League's database later for confirmation. Check if there is anyone who passed away recently who possessed an abomasnow. Sometimes pokemon just lash out when their trainers pass away."

There is a sudden massive burst of fire raging from the other far end of the nature reserve.

"Major! What the hell was that?!" Cremator's voice can be clearly heard through the comms, demanding an explanation.

"That area is where the apex of the reserve lives!" Major Rumsky's garbled voice replied, the quality of the audio being transmitted is being affected by the raging cold winds. "But that apex is a mamoswine! It sure as hell can't use any fire type moves!"

"How strong is that mamoswine?!"

"Lorelei said that it is easily close to the level of her main team! But that mamoswine is very easy going and is not easily provoked to battle! Unless you are telling me-"

There was a brief silence as the realisation dawned on all of us, followed by a few mutterings of certain choice words.

"There's no way I can take down this abomasnow in time! Zephyr! Go check on the mamoswine! This abomasnow is to lure us away from the mamoswine! The rest of you, after her! Whoever is trying to poach that mamoswine obviously came prepared! She will need the backup! You guys may be in for a tough battle! Major! Can I count on your men to support them?"

"We got your backs, Sir! My men will be there shortly!"

Abomasnow's sudden appearance and the attack on mamoswine's home cannot be a coincidence. The only explanation we have is that this is a planned attack by pokemon poachers. While we are busy dealing with the feral abomasnow on this end, being fooled into thinking that this is just a horrible case of improper release of pokemon, pokemon poachers are trying to catch the powerful wild mamoswine residing in this reserve on the other end.

Everything was a trap. A beautifully laid trap that had misdirected us all.

"Zephyr! Don't let us hold you back! You go ahead first, we will catch up as soon as we can!"

Crown flew me off in a burst of speed as soon as Venom gave me the go ahead. I also took this time to release the rest of my team as they flew by my side. I have a gut feeling that I will need all of their help.

Major Rumsky had mentioned that the mamoswine is on the same power level of a pokemon expected from the team of an Elite Four. The wall of raging fire we spotted from earlier spelled certain trouble too.

We reached the site of the fire within a minute. Already, a huge forest fire is raging. I will have to leave that to Torrent to put it out.

Dia screeched out a cry, and it was just in time that I saw a person wrapped in black winter clothing from top to toe with a massive houndoom by his side. Just from looking at it alone, I can tell that even Nightmare's own couldn't hold a candle to it. About thirty meters away from him lies a defeated gigantic mamoswine with severe burns and grotesque injuries all over its body.

That person, obviously a pokemon poacher, threw a pokeball at the mamoswine. The mamoswine didn't even have the energy left to put up a struggle as it was sucked in.

I simply snapped at that sight.

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!"

Dia fired a beam of Swift as Glide used a Rock Tomb to trap the person in. That person turned his head up to look at me, giving no indication that he is in a hurry nor was he worried about getting stopped. The combination of a hood, a pair of shades, and a face mask obscured his face from view entirely.

Seeing how as he easily defeated a mamoswine this powerful, there's no way I am getting up close and personal with this guy.

The houndoom by that person's side suddenly unleashed a massive Fire Spin that trapped us in. Tino immediately get rid of it with a Twister, only to find a honchkrow heading straight for me like a missile using Drill Peck.

Dia tanked the blow as she retaliated with a Steel Wing. That person had somehow gotten himself out of the rock prison Glide had created for him without even touching it.

What took me by surprise, was Aria's sudden aggressiveness towards the poacher.

Without warning, Aria suddenly dove down at the poacher, firing attacks relentlessly as though she had just met her mortal enemy. The poacher seems nonplussed as he let his houndoom fend it off as he checks his watch.

He snapped his fingers and the honchkrow pulled away, somehow evading all of my other flying types in the process before it flew back to that person's side. Houndoom suddenly released the largest cloud of Smog I had ever seen, forcing us to retreat to avoid inhaling the toxic gas.

I obviously am not skilled enough to fight this guy alone. I have to buy more time for my team to get here. Since I cannot see through that big cloud of Smog and it takes too much time for even my flying types to safely diffuse it, the best option I have is a large scale AOE attack.

"Tino! Draco Meteor!"

Meteors imbued with draconic energy rained down from the skies, crashing down onto the ground below and ridding of the Smog in the process. I was about to give the next command when the darkest and biggest rays of Dark Pulse were fired from the other end of the cloud of noxious gas, hitting each of my fliers with pinpoint accuracy.

Crown was hit too. Before we knew it, we were free falling in the air. One hit. Just_ one hit_ of a Dark Pulse onto each of my pokemon and they are _all _knocked out.

We are hopelessly outgunned, outclassed, and outmatched. At this rate, I might really die.

"Mamoswine has been poached! Pokemon poacher in black about 1.7 to 1.8 meters tall! Black winter clothing with hood, shades, and face mask! Suspect to be a Dark Specialist! Known pokemon are a houndoom and a honchkrow-"

"Zephyr?! What the hell is going on?!"

Even if I cannot survive this, I need to relay as much information as I can about the poacher as I can. This guy is so dangerous that it isn't even remotely funny.

"- his strength is way above those of an Elite trainer! I can't hold him off! All of my pokemon are down! We are already free falling! I don't think I can make it through!"

"THEN FUCKING DO SOMETHING YOU SHITHEAD! WE ARE JUST RIGHT BEHIND YOU! DO SOMETHING TO STAY A LITTLE LONGER IN THAT DAMN FUCKING SKY!"

"I'M TRYING!"

"We can see you now! Hang in there!" I can hear Powergirl's voice as I clung for dear life onto Crown's back, who is already unconscious from that Dark Pulse fired.

I heard Dia giving a high pitched screech as she forcibly flew to my side despite the injuries she had suffered, catching me with her talons and immediately bringing me out of the area. I quickly recalled the rest of my team back into their pokeballs lest the poacher decided to poach the rest of my team too, who are now unconscious and defenceless.

"I got ya!"

A long pink tongue wrapped around my torso just when Dia no longer have the strength to continue flying and is quickly losing altitude. A hydreigon appeared through the clouds with Nightmare and his greninja as its riders. Greninja had used its long tongue to secure me just when Dia had reached her limit.

I recalled Dia back into her pokeball as greninja pulled me onto hydreigon's back. Nightmare quickly helped me onto it.

"T-The poacher!" I cried out, not wanting him to make it out with his captured prize. "He got the mam-"

"They are gone." Venom's firm but quiet voice spoke through the comms solemnly. "Powergirl and I are on the scene searching for him, but there are no traces of him left except for the scene of the battle. Torrent and his water types are still trying to put out the fire."

"Hey, you are safe now." Nightmare put a comforting hand on my shoulder, and it was then I realised that I am actually trembling in fear.

"T-That guy's dangerous." I whispered softly, my voice cannot help but tremble as I recall just how easily he had swatted my entire team out of the sky. Even my heavy hitters like Tino, Echo, and Aria didn't stand a chance. Only Dia managed to withstand that Dark Pulse, and that is more likely because of her Sturdy ability. It's only by luck that I managed to survive and not meet my grisly end, thanks to Dia.

And a lot of luck.

"H-He needs to be stopped. He not only got the mamoswine, he easily took out my entire team with just a Dark Pulse. We-"

"Calm down, Zephyr." Nightmare said in a firm tone, both of his hands on my shoulder and forcing me to look at him. "You are on the verge of having a panic attack. Yes, we lost the mamoswine. That bastard got the better of us,_ for now_. But you and your team are still safe, still alive. We are going to heal you and your pokemon, we are going to get better, and then you can be sure that we are going to kick his fucking ass for pulling that fucking shit stunt. So get your shit together, you with me?"

I forced myself to take a few deep breaths to calm my breathing down.

"Y-Yes. Sorry, I-"

"It happens to the best of us." Venom said through the comms. "I'm afraid any traces of the poacher had just disappeared. He probably teleported right after putting up the cloud of Smog and firing those Dark Pulses like you said."

"No shit. Even _we _saw the Smog when we were still so far away." Adam growled.

"This is Cremator. Black Squadron, fall back, let Major Rumsky's men deal with the aftermath. Reinforcements are on their way. Torrent, you stay to help put out the fire. Do you guys copy?"

"Copy that, Sir." Venom answered on our behalf as we turned around to return back to base. The firefighting team had just arrived to help together with a whole army of Rangers.

In my opinion, unless there is someone on the level of our commander within that army, it still wouldn't be enough to stop that poacher. He's just that strong.

"Zephyr?"

"I need to get stronger." I replied to Nightmare's question of concern as I held onto Crown's pokeball tighter. "I was too weak back there to do anything."

"You are already plenty strong in my book. Whoever that bastard is, for him to defeat you so easily he must be nearing the power of a Gym Leader at the very least."

"We won't let something like this happen again." Powergirl said determinedly as her pidgeot pulled up right beside Nightmare's hydreigon with her riding on it.

She's right. We are not going to let something like this happen again. I am not going to take this lying down.

The next time we meet, I'm going to bring that bastard down.

* * *

**Name: Skye Bale, 16, Female**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 9****th**** Ranger Regiment, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Staff Sergeant**

**Code Name: Zephyr**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Pidgeot (Crown), male**

**2\. ****Gliscor (Glide), male**

**3\. ****Skarmory (Dia), female**

**4\. ****Crobat (Beats), male**

**5\. ****Jumpluff (Cotton), female**

**6\. ****Dragonite (Tino), female**

**7\. ****Noivern (Echo), male**

**8\. ****Emolga, (Emi), female **

**9\. ****Hawlucha (Hawk), male**

**10\. ****Sigilyph (Cosmo), female**

**11\. ****Aerodactyl (Aria), female**

**Name: Falkner Bale, 25, Male**

**Known affiliation: Johto Police Force, Johto Thirteen Pillars, Violet City Gym Leader**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Pidgeot (Majel), male**

**2\. ****Noctowl**

**3\. ****Fearow**

**4\. ****Dodrio**

**5\. ****Honchkrow**

**6\. ****Xatu**

**7\. ****Crobat**

**8\. ****Skarmory**

**9\. ****Delibird**

**10\. ****Togekiss **

**11\. ****Swellow**

**12\. ****Staraptor**

**13\. ****Pelipper**

**Name: Ciel Bale, 13, Male**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Pidgeotto (Queenie), female**

**Name: Walker Bale, 55, Male**

**Known affiliation: Ex Violet City Gym Leader, Ex member of Johto Thirteen Pillars**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Pidgeot**

**2\. ****Skarmory**

**Name: Jacky Marsh, 19, Male**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: First Lieutenant**

**Code Name: Venom**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Scolipede**

**2\. ****Crobat**

**3\. ****Tentacruel**

**4\. ****Nidoking**

**5\. ****Skuntank**

**6\. ****Venasaur**

**7\. ****Toxicroak**

**8\. ****Weezing**

**9\. ****Dragalge**

**10\. ****Beedrill**

**Name: Amy Rose, 17, Female**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Sergeant First Class**

**Code Name: Powergirl**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Furret**

**2\. ****Pidgeot**

**3\. ****Lopunny**

**4\. ****Ursaring**

**5\. ****Wigglytuff**

**6\. ****Exploud**

**7\. ****Blissey**

**8\. ****Tauros**

**9\. ****Miltank**

**10\. ****Cinccino **

**Name: Adam Clive, 20, Male**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Sergeant First Class**

**Code Name: Nightmare**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Houndoom**

**2\. ****Honchkrow**

**3\. ****Umbreon**

**4\. ****Weavile**

**5\. ****Shiftry**

**6\. ****Sableye**

**7\. ****Greninja**

**8\. ****Hydreigon**

**9\. ****Pangoro**

**10\. ****Krookodile**

**Name: Rufus Grandell, 21, Male**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Master Sergeant**

**Code Name: Torrent**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Poliwrath**

**2\. ****Kingdra**

**3\. ****Dewgong**

**4\. ****Gyarados **

**5\. ****Feraligatr**

**6\. ****Slowking **

**7\. ****Crawdaunt**

**8\. ****Floatzel**

**9\. ****Jellicent**

**10\. ****Golisopod**

**Name: Pyral Furnes, 38, Male**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Lieutenant Colonel**

**Code Name: Cremator **

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Typhlosion**

**2\. ****Arcanine**

**3\. ****Charizard**

**4\. ****Magmortar**

**5\. ****Magcargo **

**6\. ****Alolan Marowak **

**7\. ****Torkoal**

**8\. ****Infernape**

**9\. ****Emboar**

**10\. ****Pyroar**

**11\. ****Chandelure **


	8. Chapter 8- Contest for Survival

"Go straight back to your family, okay? Don't linger here too long."

I gently stroked the little baby seel in my arms before I released it back to the sea. Due to the horrid weather that struck a few weeks back, a small group of seel pups were separated from their parents. It is our job as Rangers to reunite them with their family, so we tracked down the dewgong pack that is most likely to be the family of the seel pups and release the pups back into the sea.

It had been three months since my first and last encounter with that poacher.

There was no hide nor hair found about that mysterious poacher. All we know are the two pokemon that he uses and the fact that he may be a Dark Specialist. It is worrying. Logically speaking, it wouldn't be too hard to identify a trainer like him from the League's database who is probably strong enough to be a Gym Leader. Yet, there is still no progress on the matter.

As usual, my older brother flipped the moment he found out that I got myself into yet another dangerous situation, but he still acquiesced to my request and help to train me and my team further. However, he is now personally investigating that particular case both as a member of the Police Force and also as a Gym Leader. Last I heard, he met another dead end halfway into the investigation.

I think I had improved a lot over the last three months, but my experience with that poacher, even for that short one moment, was harrowing enough for me to not want to see him ever again.

It's indescribable, that feeling of hopelessness when every single one of your pokemon got sniped down like that in quick succession. It's like his houndoom didn't need a break from firing all those Dark Pulses. The rate of fire was so fast that it is unnatural.

"Ah, the joy of seeing family members reunite with each other." Torrent sighed in contentment as we watched the seel pups yipping happily when they reunited with their pack.

Just yesterday, Jacky and Amy had decided to take a long leave of absence to attempt the upcoming Ever Grande Conference in Hoenn this year. They will be attempting Hoenn's gym circuit on the Elite level. I am a little worried since the Lilycove Invasion had just happened about two weeks ago. Team Aqua had launched a large scale siege on Lilycove city. Many had perished.

The Hoenn League launched a counterattack just a mere ten days after the invasion, dealing a crippling blow not only on Team Aqua, but also on Team Magma. It puzzled me, because if the Hoenn League had the strength and ability to wipe them off the map all along, why wait until after the invasion had happened to do so? Countless lives need not have died.

Team Aqua's uprising had a global impact. Every region had tightened security on their borders and put them on temporary lockdown when the Lilycove Invasion struck. No one can go in and out until the storm had passed, and it only just passed very recently. The ten days between the Lilycove Invasion and the counterattack launched by the Hoenn League was a very tense ten days for everyone around the world. On my end, my squadron was on duty 24/7, constantly on high alert.

Not a very fun experience.

Border lockdown is no longer in effect in every region, but security is still very tight. In some places, Team Aqua's bold move had encouraged villainous teams in other regions to try and attempt something similar. Team Rocket had also gotten bolder in their actions recently. It's everything the news is reporting about nowadays.

This world is not a safe one, which is why I am here as a Ranger. I can help make things a little safer for both humans and pokemon, even if it is just a little.

Since both Jacky and Amy had taken a leave of absence that is estimated to last for half a year, our commander decides that he might as well write in a request to the higher ups for this period of time to be our squadron's lull period for the year since the other squadrons in our regiment already had theirs. We finally get the chance to take a breather. We still go on missions, but they are mostly a lot easier and peaceful in nature, and thus not requiring as much manpower. We don't need to be in camp as often. Our commander wanted to see if he could get Rangers from other regiments to fill in the slots left behind, even if it is just temporarily, but so far none that he found met his expectations.

Hence, it is just the four of us right now.

"No, don't come back to us! Go back and find your mummy!" Rufus yelled out frantically when the released seel pups suddenly began to swim back in our direction for reasons unknown. "Go! That way! Not this way! **_That _**_way!_"

Crown did a huff and unceremoniously blew the seel pups backwards with a flap of his large wings, landing them just right into the middle of the dewgong pack.

"Crown, be nice." I chided my starter, who obviously didn't listen to a single word I just said.

"You know, I wish easy missions like this can get assigned to us for the rest of our career." I spoke as we both watch the dewgong pack leading away their young back into the vast sea.

"Famous last words. You just had to jinx it, don't you?"

"Oi, shitheads, I'm done on my end. If you two are done sightseeing, it's time to head back now!"

"Someone just can't take the time and appreciate the beauty of mother nature." I grumbled when Nightmare's unpleasant voice sounded through the comms.

"Because, you goddamn _geniuses_, I want to knock off on time for once!"

And thus, with Nightmare constantly harassing us to pack up and go, the three of us met up halfway before flying straight back to our camp without any fanfare.

"Mission accomplished, boss." Torrent reported to our commander the moment we reached our barracks. "The seel pups had safely reunited with their pack."

"Good job, now shoo and get out of here. I have paperwork to finish and I don't want to see any of your ugly mugs for the next three days."

"Love ya too, boss!" Torrent yelled out as he disappeared out of Pyral's office with Adam trudging behind him.

"May the force be ever in your favour, boss!" I cheekily stuck my tongue out at my commander before quickly bolting out of his office, lowering my head enough to dodge the crumpled piece of paper he threw my way.

Ah, the joy of finishing a mission early and having all the time in the world to do whatever you want to do for the rest of the day.

* * *

"Bug catching contest?"

"Come on, sis, it will be fun!"

"You know I dislike most bug type pokemon. The only type of pokemon that will interest me are flying types." I retorted. "And they must belong to the bird family too."

"Yeah, that's so true, because Glide, Beats, Cotton, Tino, Echo, Emi, and Aria _totally _belongs to the _bird _family."

"Rude."

I pushed my annoying brother's head away from me in a lazy fashion.

"Sis~"

"Ask Falkner to go with you."

"He's stuck with Gym Leader duties. Come on, sis! The National Park is not even far from here!"

I sighed. Guess I won't be able to catch up to the latest episode of my favourite drama series today.

"Fine, fine. You win, you little brat."

"Don't be such a downer. I heard that the contest this week even has some of the rare bug types from other regions! Many bug types are also part flying types, right? Maybe you can add one more to your team!"

"I don't really like bugs. All the creepy crawlies feelers, the compound eyes, the squiggly legs, and all that. _Ugh_." I shivered a little as I imagined the images of the typical bugs in my mind's eye. There's a good reason why I didn't add any bug types to my team even if they would fit right in there.

If there's one thing I brought over from my previous life, it would be my aversion to bugs. Yes, not something you would really expect out of a Ranger, but in my defence, _bugs_.

At least I don't have Amy's superstitious fear of ghosts. She's worse than me in this regard.

"Then find one that doesn't look like one! Maybe like pineco, or if you are lucky, a forretress!"

"Right. And let them explode me into itty bitty pieces. There are better ways to commit suicide, brother dear."

My brother and I continue our squabbling as I let Crown and Dia fly us to the National Park.

The National Park's Bug Catching Contest is a big event that attracts locals and tourists alike, held once every single month, once everyday for the duration of a week. Depending on the season, the variety of bug type pokemon one can find there can greatly differ.

According to Ciel, this week's bug type pokemon are supposedly filled with the rarer ones that the organisers imported from other regions. Bug enthusiasts from all over the region, and even from other parts of the world, travelled here to take part in this world-renowned contest. The contest is also very popular among trainers who just started out on their journey and is looking to add a bug type to their team since the level of entry is set to be rather low.

Ciel entered the both of us into the contest. The rules are simple. Each of us are given twenty Sports Ball, a special type of pokeball to be used during this contest. Every contestant are only allowed to catch one bug type during the competition. While they won't take away our pokeballs that houses our pokemon team, because there had been nasty accidents that happened when participants didn't have access to their full team when they were unfortunately caught in a bad spot, we are only allowed to register one pokemon to be our partner for the duration of the contest. We can only let out the rest of our team only during emergencies or in self-defence.

The section of the park where the contest is being held at is being constantly patrolled by trainers employed by the organisers, both for security purposes and also to monitor the ongoings during this time. Anyone found to flout the rules and caught by these trainers will be disqualified immediately.

I'm not too sure what criteria the judges will use to determine the winner of the contest, but I don't particularly care. What I care about is that all contestants are allowed to keep their captured bug type after the contest ends.

Since I am already here against my will, I might as well add another pokemon to my team.

The duration of the contest is two hours. If the contestant somehow used up all twenty Sport Balls, they are also automatically out of the competition, although anyone with a brain would probably only use up three to seven Sports Ball at most. Any leftover Sport Balls have to be returned to the organiser.

"See you later, sis!" My younger brother waved me goodbye as he excitedly ran off in a direction without waiting for my reply. Wait, if he is going to go on his own this whole time, why drag me here?!

_That little shit._

"Let's get going." I told Beats as he hovered around me without making a single sound. He is a little grumpy at the fact that I called him out in broad daylight when there is no mission to be done, but he is still a very easygoing fellow.

Relatively easygoing when you compare him to the rest of his species.

The reason why I decide to let Beats accompany me is because his ability to use echolocation is extremely useful for searching and scouting purposes. He doesn't even need to see where he is going because he is just that good at it. He can see what the eyes can't. It is how his species hunt their prey out in the wild. Beats is in his element right here.

Among the known pokemon with the bug-flying dual typing, the only species that don't look too 'buggish' to me are the masquerain species, an evolution of the surskit line. To add on, masquerains are able to fly freely in any direction with their four wings, which makes them very agile fliers. The only drawback is that due to its highly absorbent wings, it does not cope well with moisture, but they can be trained to overcome that weakness under the right tutelage.

Even then, the fact that masquerains are the pokemon equivalent of a helicopter, being able to not only hover, but fly freely in _any _direction, is a tempting enough thought to make me want to try and capture one for myself if I ever want a bug type. This is the only pokemon I will be looking out for today. If I am unable to find one, then I am fine with returning empty handed.

Despite not coping well with moisture, masquerians are still more likely to appear near water bodies with clean water. It might be because it lived most of its life by skating on the water surface of ponds and lakes as a surskit, but from personal experience I know that masquerains tend to congregate in such places and hide out in the nearby trees.

Hence, the first places that I am going to comb are the known water bodies in the National Park within the demarcated area set aside just for the contest.

"How hard can it be to find a masquerain?" I asked no one in particular as Beats led me around the National Park while we embark on our quest. Beats let out a brief chittering sound, as if offended that he is incapable of completing such an easy task.

"I know, I know. You are the best when it comes to finding your prey." I praised Beats and I watch in amusement as the bat pokemon visibly preened at my statement. "But seriously, if we really got ourselves a masquerain, please don't eat him or her up, okay?"

In the wild, most bug type pokemon on the smaller size tend to end up as prey for the zubat species and its evolutionary line. My worry is not an unfounded one.

After close to half an hour of traversing through tall grass and muddy ground, we finally reached a large water body that looks like it might be home to wild surskits and masquerains. The water is relatively still in here, which further solidify my belief that it is very likely that we might meet a masquerain here. Surskits and masquerains love calm waters.

Beats and I slowly walked along the perimeter of the mini lake we found, carefully checking the trees to see if any masquerains might be hiding in the hollow trunks. We met the occasional ledybas and ledians along with other more common bug types seen in Johto, but we left them alone. The prize that we set our sights on are the masquerains. If we cannot find one, surskits are fine too. I don't mind training another flier from scratch since my squadron is on a lull period right now. I have all the time in the world.

Carefully avoiding a large web that obviously belongs to a venomous ariados, Beats guided me to a large and hollow tree. He gave me a signal, and I immediately know that what we had been trying to find for the past one hour has to be in there. The masquerain is probably taking a nap in the tree if I have to make an educated guess.

"Alright, do your thing. Flush it out, confuse it, then we are going to capture it. Remember, **_no _**_eating it._"

Beats made a sound that is his equivalent of scoffing before proceeding to fly straight for the tree. He used a deafening Screech that is directed right into one of the holes of the hollow tree.

Ouch, that has to hurt.

A hole exploded on the other side of the tree as a pokemon zoomed out of there and into the sky. Its path was quickly blocked by Beats, who immediately used a Wing Attack to smack it back down and preventing it from making an escape.

A masquerain buzzed angrily as I saw crobat flinched a little, an effect that I recognised to be brought about by masquerain's Intimidate ability. The masquerain is understandably mad for the rude awakening Beats had given and immediately fired an Air Slash at Beats' direction.

There is no way that attack is going to land a hit on my crobat, but I still cannot help but be impressed at how that Air Slash easily fell several large trees. I was even more impressed at how the masquerain moved in the air as it zipped around the area with Beats chasing after it. Forwards, backwards, up, down, left, and right. It's really like what is recorded in the pokedex. There is no direction that masquerain cannot fly. It is a living helicopter.

I really, really want to capture this guy right now.

A supersonic from Beats managed to catch masquerain off guard and Beats quickly followed up with a Cross Poison, sending it careening down onto the ground. I immediately threw a Sports Ball at it, only to be awed at how the masquerain abruptly changed direction in mid-air to avoid the pokeball.

For a wild pokemon, those moves are impressive. I'm going to capture this masquerain even if it meant using all twenty of my Sports Ball.

"Swift!"

Beats pressed on the advantage with Swift, an attack that never misses. The ray of stars hit masquerain squarely in the face and left it a little dazed from the impact. I used this chance and threw another Sports Ball. With Beats hovering protectively in front of me, we watched with bated breath as the contraption wriggled and squirmed on the ground.

After about ten seconds of struggle, the masquerain gave in and the Sports Ball went still.

"We did it!" I gave a cheer and threw my hands up in the air. Even Beats let out a victory cry. The past hour was not in vain after all!

I picked up masquerain's pokeball and cleaned off the dirt on it with my sleeve. A quick scan of my pokedex told me that this masquerain is a male.

"What name should I give this guy?" I wondered out loud as Beats and I slowly trekked back to the starting point, our objective for today completed. This masquerain is already a very good flier, imagine the aerial maneuvers it can do after I put him through my training regime. Just thinking about it makes me want to jump into training immediately.

Beats gave a grunt that conveyed his indifference.

"True. Why am I even asking you in the first place?"

With Beats' help in locating my wayward brother, we met up with Ciel soon enough.

"Of _all _the pokemon here you have to catch, you have to catch the one that looks the most buggish."

"But Sis! This pokemon is so _rare_! It is the _highlight _of the contest! And what else do you expect me to catch in a **_Bug catching contest?!_**"

I stared at the wimpod moving around Ciel's feet in a circle. To be fair, it could have been a lot worse. Ciel could have caught a caterpie, scyther, or heaven forbid, a heracross that loves to hug people (_Ew_). At least I have experience in interacting with the wimpod species since Rufus has a golisopod on his team, and they tend to keep their distance from anyone that is not their trainer.

"Remind me to help you ask my friend for tips on how to raise this little guy. He has a golisopod."

"Really?! Thanks a lot, sis!"

"You can thank me by volunteering for dinner duty tonight." I ruffled his hair as we slowly make our way back. Although our entire family are flying type enthusiasts, Ciel is not as one-track as Falkner and I when it comes to adding pokemon to our team. He is more interested in knowing more about the secrets of every pokemon than in becoming a trainer.

"Wimpod is very skittish though. Queenie and I had a hard time trying to catch it because it's so timid and it can run really fast." Ciel admitted as we threw glances behind us every ten or so meters, making sure that the wimpod is slowly following us from behind. They are notorious for being cowardly, always running away at the first signs of danger. It is common for them to spit out large amount of poisonous liquid the moment they think that they are being threatened, so the best we can do now is to let it interact with us within its comfort zone while our pokemon kept an eye on it from the air. When it gets to know us better, then it might start to open up to us a little more.

The only good thing about this little guy is that it is also known for eating literally anything, thus also earning them the nickname of 'the cleaners of the sea'. They are very easy to raise if you give them space to hide and run around. You need to give their species their own personal space since being overly friendly to newly captured wimpods might stress them out to the point of death instead.

As expected, Ciel and I didn't win the contest because the judging criteria turned out to be how heavy and big the captured prize is. Masquerain and wimpod are far from being the biggest bugs around. The top 3 winners earned themselves some really decent prizes, but I don't really care. All I really want is the masquerain I just caught.

"And now, in Third Place, we have-"

**BOOM!**

I was thrown to the ground when numerous explosions suddenly appeared around us, shaking the ground in a violent tremor and throwing up a huge amount of dirt and dust in the process.

_Ciel!_

"Ciel! Ciel!"

"I'm here!"

I quickly reunited with Ciel through the chaos and quickly let out my pokemon team. They immediately went into battle mode and surrounded Ciel and I in a protective circle. The entire area where all of us contestants are at for the prize giving ceremony is now engulfed in flames and constant explosions.

"Sis! What is going on?!"

"I don't know!"

Screams continue to ring through the air as men in black suits appeared out of nowhere and started attacking indiscriminately left and right. I can see sections of the park on fire as wild pokemon taking residence in there was forced out of their homes when they flee, only to be quickly subdued and captured by these people.

I saw the huge red 'R' on their suits and I immediately knew what is going on.

**_Team Rocket_**

"Echo! Get Ciel out of here, **now**!"

"Sis?!"

"Go! This is no time to argue with me! Go get Falkner! Only he can handle this!" I forcefully shoved my younger brother on Echo's back and got him to quickly take off into the air. I can at least stay behind and try to help out people who might need me, but Ciel is not even a trainer. He is a sitting duck in here.

There's also no way I'm risking my little brother's life in this shitfest. I managed to calm down a little when I saw Echo swiftly carrying my younger brother out of the area and disappeared into the sky towards the direction of our hometown.

"I know we only just met." I told masquerain as the newest member on my team hovered in mid-air, looking very lost at what is happening around us. "But I need all the help I can get now, and I am willing to trust you. Can we trust you too?"

The masquerain narrowed its little beady eyes and buzzed defiantly, but another explosion in the distance got it to reluctantly accept my offer. This is no time to be squabbling and masquerain clearly understands this. Our chances of staying alive is higher if we work with each other.

"Thank you." I quickly thanked masquerain as I climbed onto Crown's back. This is no time to be sitting around.

"Into the air! Prioritise the safety of the civilians! Masquerain, stick close to me! Let's go! "

My team flew into action as I quickly dialled the emergency hotline that is directly linked to Pyral's office number. I know for a fact that my workaholic commander is in the barracks right now. Any normal civilian would call the police, but I have faith that my own regiment can sortie faster than the cops, because we are the **_1st Regiment_**.

"What is it, Skye? I'm-"

"National Park! Rockets! Get reinforcements from **_somewhere_**! We are in deep shit here!" I yelled into my pokegear the moment the line was picked up on the other end and then hung it up. I cannot afford to be distracted right now. Already, a stray Thunderbolt came too close to Crown and I for comfort because I was distracted.

Thankfully, it seems that there are no shortages of skilled trainers in this area, seeing as how some of them had grouped up and tried to take control of the situation from where we are boxed in at the plaza. It's not the worst place to be trapped in, to be honest. At least the exit out of the park is nearby and it is easy to form a defensive line given the geography of the area.

Team Rocket must be feeling generous today. I can work with this.

"I'm a Ranger from the 1st Regiment! Elite trainers, please form a defensive perimeter around the plaza! Focus on not letting the Rockets pass us! Intermediate and Advanced trainers, provide support wherever you can! Novice trainers, please escort anyone incapable of fighting away from the area and direct them to the exit! And someone please call the cops!"

My presence has definitely changed things from how our efforts to defend ourselves are suddenly more organised and how people are now acting with a calmer mind. The name of the Ranger's 1st Regiment is known far and wide in our region, since only the most skilled of trainers are accepted there. People are willing to listen to us in times of crisis since we actually know what we are doing.

"Any Psychic Specialists here?! Search out the enemies and teleport the injured out of the battle!" I yelled out from Crown's back as my flying types immediately cleared our surrounding air of dust and smoke, giving us some much needed visibility as we tried to wrestle aerial superiority away from the Rockets. We need every advantage we can get right now.

"Rock, ground, or Steel Specialists! Please raise as many covers as you can! Water Specialists, please ensure that the forest fire does not reach us! Our priority isn't to win! I repeat, _our priority isn't to win! _Our priority is **_survival!_** We just need to survive until reinforcements arrive! Hang in there! Reinforcements are already on their way!"

I'm glad that trainers on our side seemed to have no qualms in taking instructions from me, placing their trust in me that I am really from the 1st Regiment. Already, trainers are directing their pokemon who are adept at creating covers or providing defenses to raise rocks and slabs of earth to shelter us from the Rocket's onslaught. Rock and Ground Specialists are already working on creating a temporary bunker for us to hide in with their pokemon. Trainers who are too inexperienced helped out by ushering the civilians out of the area, thereby allowing us to fully focus on our battles. Many of us stick to commanding our pokemon to fire their attacks from a distance since we really have no idea just how many Rockets we are facing right now. We are fighting blind until a Psychic Specialist is able to give us eyes on the situation.

"The Rockets are spread throughout the park! I think they are trying to net all the bug types in the area while keeping us pinned down!" One trainer, who is obviously a Psychic Specialist shouted out. "I think they got some of the people out there who didn't make it back in time! Their psychic signatures just sputtered out!"

Ah, shit.

"Ranger, what do we do?!" Another shouted.

I did a quick headcount of the manpower I have on hand and I frowned. I don't think it's wise to take anyone with me. Firstly, I have no idea on who they are and what are their capabilities. They might be a burden to me instead if they cannot keep up. Secondly, although the number of skilled trainers are not a small number, it isn't very big too. I cannot risk the safety of the majority for the few who might or might not be already dead. Rockets can be very merciless in their heists.

In that case, the best course of action that can allow us to save both the people stranded out there and the majority here who are forming a defensive perimeter at the plaza will be for me to go out alone and save as many as I can, because _I can_. However, I cannot just leave. I have to at least nominate a leader to take over my responsibility here so that things will not spiral down into chaos.

"Anyone here part of STAR, Ranger, or is a cop?"

"I am from STAR." Someone raised his hand timidly into the air. "But I only just entered service for three months-"

"This is an **_emergency_**. You will have to do. Unless there is somebody here more qualified than you in handling a situation like this, you will have to take command of the situation while I go and rescue whoever I can. Remember, get everyone to keep your distance, don't let the Rockets get close. Just make sure everyone hold for as long as they can until the reinforcements arrive. _Reinforcements ARE coming_, so stay hopeful. Throw status inducing moves at them while you are at it too, it will slow the Rockets down. I will guide the stragglers to safety here, so don't hit them! If all else fails, just avoid direct confrontation with the Rockets at all costs and buy as much time as possible, clear?"

"But-"

**_"Am. I. Clear?"_**

"... Yes."

"I'm counting on you."

"Don't worry, we will look out for each other!"

"Yeah! Go do your thing, Ranger! Don't worry about us! Be careful out there!"

"Get those Rocket bastards while you are at it!"

I managed a smile at their words of encouragement.

"Thanks, guys."

My team and I flew off immediately after the Psychic Specialist gave me the generic direction of where my help might be needed. The Psychic Specialist even kindly lent me his kadabra which is able to use Teleport in case I need to transport an injured who might not be able to move. The kadabra is not as skilled in that move as I like it to be, but this arrangement will have to suffice. Unfortunately, I am somehow the only Flying Specialist around, so I'm the only one who could quickly reach those who need help in time.

"Carpet Bomb maneuver! Lay them to waste!"

Utilising the teachings that Falkner drilled into me and my team after my first encounter with that terrifying poacher, my team mercilessly did a carpet bomb maneuver at whatever Rockets we can see below while we are on our way to find the stragglers. I'm reluctant to use the bigger moves because I have no idea who else might be down there and I don't want to hit a friendly by mistake.

I can see some Rocket members stealing pokemon from several downed trainers, which Hawks knocked the living daylights out of them when we arrived. Some of my team remained in the air while those who can fight effectively on the ground landed with me, forming a defensive perimeter around me and the downed trainers.

"Get them back to your trainer! Once done, see if you can locate my psychic signature and Teleport back to me! If not possible, then just stay with your trainer!" I quickly shouted my instructions to the kadabra over the hell of fire raining down at us. I dumped the bag of pokeballs that were in the Rockets' hands onto the bodies of the unconscious trainers, which I presumed to contain the pokeballs that originally belonged to them before the Rockets snatched them.

I watched as kadabra teleported both itself and them in a crackle of psychic energy. Once I confirmed its exit, I gave my next command.

"Go! Fly!"

My team flew up into the air again and regrouped, heading straight into the line of fire. There is a sizable group of Rockets in the direction we are facing and we had drawn all the aggro towards ourselves for the carpet bombing we did earlier. Cosmo sent me a telepathic message that all she sensed there are people with hostile intentions, so I can now command my team to use our bigger moves.

"Tino! Draco Meteor! Bomb them to hell!"

My usually gentle dragon gave a savage roar as she fired her attack, immediately calling upon a rain of draconic meteor down on our foes. The rest of us didn't slow down in our flight as we simply charged right through. Any Rockets that Tino missed, the rest of my team sniped them down from above with righteous fury.

There is an old saying spoken by the very first Indigo Champion, and that is in war, never ever cross a Flying Specialist if you can help it. In the days of the warring states, there was a damn good reason why Flying Specialists were so feared. In war, we can be nigh unstoppable under the right conditions.

There was a reason why any pokemon with the dragon typing must be approached with caution, but there was also a reason why pokemon with the dragon-flying dual typing under the command of an enemy is a threat that must be immediately put down. There is a reason why the dragonite species is so highly coveted in both Kanto and Johto.

Pokemon can be our best friends, but they can also be trained to be highly efficient killing machines.

We repeated our actions several times, trying my best to control my anger when I spotted corpses of the innocents who were unfortunate enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Any stranded civilians and trainers that I spotted who can still move and save themselves, I gave them verbal instructions to head for the plaza _because my hands are full_. Thankfully, the kadabra is skilled enough in Teleport to keep coming back to me and it was a great help in transporting any stranded we found who could not move by themselves. My main priority is to rescue any stragglers that are stranded in all this mess. If there are any Rockets that I can take down in a jiffy while I'm at it, then that is a bonus.

"Aria, Glide, Rock Slide!"

Aria and Glide buried another small group of Rockets in a massive Rock Slide. Cotton released her Stun Spores as the rest of my flying types beat their wings and sent it flying towards another group of Rockets hiding among the trees, the dosage in it so highly dangerous to humans that it is able to paralyze them for life. Cosmo and Masquerain hovered around Crown and I, protecting us as they tried to locate any friend or foe that we might have missed.

Glide used an Earthquake that flushed out the rest of the Rockets, allowing us to get in another free shot.

"That flier's too strong! Leave her! We had gotten what he had come for! Retreat! Retreat!"

Immediately, psychic types appeared all around the area and began teleporting all the Rockets I could see out of the National Park. Even the downed ones are being teleported out of the area. Any Rocket that I can see that is still alive is disappearing at a rapid rate, only leaving behind those who are already dead.

They are so deadly efficient, so terrifyingly swift that it is scary. I'm not even sure if the 1st Regiment or the STAR forces can achieve such efficiency. If Team Rocket launch another attack with the same deadly precision, on a bigger scale, on _God knows where…_

There is still time before all of them vanish into thin air. I have to at least capture a few Rockets _alive _so that the Indigo League can organise a counterattack, like what Hoenn did for Team Aqua and Team Magma. Only then can _something _be done against the mysterious Team Rocket.

"Don't let them escape!"

I have no idea why the Rockets are here and launched such a massive assault. If we ever want a follow-up action to track these elusive Rockets down, then we need to at least capture a live one for interrogation.

"Beats, Mean Look!"

Beats' Mean Look prevented an escape via Teleport for a small group of Rockets. Dia swiftly knocked them out. Emi and Glide even managed to nail a few of the Rockets' psychic types.

And then everything went **_wrong _**again.

There was another audible crackle of psychic energy and a new player made his appearance on the warzone. A man in black, also sporting the same 'R' on his uniform looked back up at me disinterestedly from the ground. He is definitely different from the usual Rocket grunts based on what I can see, since his attire marks him as different. Most of his face is covered by the high collar shirt and large breton cap he is wearing. His hands are in his pockets even in this chaos we are in, as if deeming me a non-threat.

However, subconsciously, my entire team pulled our distance away from this guy. Even just by standing there, this man exudes the aura and pressure of the truly strong. He is someone that you don't want to ever cross paths with.

Whoever this is, we cannot underestimate this guy.

_'Mistress, look at his pokemon.'_

A snarling houndoom by his side bared its fangs at us and I immediately broke into a cold sweat.

_It's the same houndoom that had single handedly defeated my entire team back at Cherrygrove Nature Reserve._

The poacher. **_This_**_ is the poacher which poached the mamoswine! He was a **Rocket **all along!_

"Spread out!"

My team immediately scattered, and it was just in time as the houndoom fired an absolutely massive Dark Pulse from its maws. Even after the gruelling training Falkner put me through, I immediately understood that there's no way we can hold our own against such a highly trained and skilled pokemon.

I'm still outclassed, outmatched, and outgunned.

"Masquerain, Water Sport!"

I really hope that he is able to use that move. I didn't have the time to check his move list with my pokedex yet.

Fortunately, masquerain did know how to use Water Sport. With that, houndoom's fire type moves will have its damage cut.

"Keep your distance! Hit-and-run! Go!"

My team zipped erratically in the air as we rapidly bombard attacks on the lone Rocket standing in our way. Fighting him shouldn't be my main priority, but if I leave him alone, who knows what else he might do? My greatest fear right now is that he might head straight for the area the rest of the trainers are gathered at and demolish them in one fell swoop. There is no one here that can stand up to him.

Furthermore, I'm sure that help is on the way. Pyral is definitely on his way here, and if all goes well, my older brother too. Between the two of them, I'm sure they can subjugate this villain.

My eyes widened in shock when our attacks simply bounced off an invisible dome of barriers that surrounds the Rocket and his houndoom. _How?_ Houndooms are not known for their defensive abilities and the houndoom is definitely not using Protect, so **_HOW?! THIS IS NOT POSSIBLE!_**

Come to think about it, how did this Rocket teleport himself here without a psychic pokemon? Houndooms are also not capable of learning Teleport, so how?

With another howl, the houndoom released a massive Inferno that forced us all away. The heat and the sheer size of the flames is so strong that it makes it look like masquerain's Water Sport had no effect whatsoever.

I'm starting to think that even my older brother will have problems dealing with this guy in a head-on battle.

"Blow the winds in his direction! Hurricane! Don't stop moving! Don't let it get a clear shot!"

The pokemon on my team who can use Hurricane immediately followed my command and tried to use the houndoom's own flames against it while continuing to fly unpredictably in the air. After the overwhelming defeat we experienced under the hands of this Rocket previously, none of us are willing to repeat the same mistake.

However, the wall of flames had blocked our vision of the Rocket.

"Cosmo! Is he still there?"

_'Mistress! He's gone! I can no longer feel their presence!'_

Shit. He used the Inferno as a smokescreen to make his getaway, probably with Teleport. He also probably took his fallen goons with him while he was at it.

I suddenly heard Tino giving a loud cry and I whipped my head in her direction. I can easily tell that she was attacked from behind from how she is evading attacks that came from nowhere. My team immediately reacted as we scattered once more while trying to support Tino, who is already struggling to stay afloat in the air. Someone had managed to get a lot of damage in on Tino, _somehow_.

I soon got my answer. A massive and savage-looking hydreigon bellowed its challenge at us from the air. Riding on it is the Rocket from earlier.

_That bastard. He didn't escape! He teleported into the air to launch a sneak attack!_

"Draco Meteor."

Oh shit.

"Get to the ground and huddle together! Defensive formation! Use Protect!"

Like we practiced, my team quickly gathered around me on the ground and everyone except for Tino and Emi threw up a shield of Protect that encased us in a dome, defending ourselves from the falling rain of meteors. Tino used this chance to heal herself up with Roost.

"Emi, drop them out of the sky! Thunder!"

A huge pillar of lightning crashed down at the hydreigon and its rider, but to my frustration, even Emi's attack bounced off even before it reached the dragon. There is something protecting the Rocket and his pokemon and I have **_no _**_idea_ what it is.

_'Mistress, I believe that is a result of simultaneous usage of Light Screen and Reflect, although I myself had not seen such expert usage of these moves. I also just sensed a faint presence that is constantly trying to evade my senses. I believe that there is another creature out there lurking at the sides.'_

A secret helper. Now that explain things.

"Beats, you heard Cosmo! The both of you hurry and flush them out or we can never bring this guy down!"

With Beats and Cosmo pairing up to deal with the unknown, the rest of us continue our skirmish with the Rocket. There's no way the hydreigon can fire another fully powered Draco Meteor again at such short notice, so we took into the air once more. The hydreigon continues to fire a barrage of long ranged moves at us from its three heads. Unlike Adam's, this hydreigon seemed to lose all sense of reason in battle and is simply charging at us recklessly without any care of its wellbeing. The Rocket doesn't seem like he cares, letting hydreigon do whatever it wants.

But it may be our chance to turn the tide around. Tino is good at close quarters combat, but the same cannot be said for the hydreigon species.

"Tino, Dragon Rush! Aria, Double-Edge! Crown, Tailwind! Everyone else, support them!"

With a speed boost from Crown's Tailwind, Tino zoomed right at the hydreigon and bodily crashed into it. Aria dived down from above, but a black blur jumped up from hydreigon's back and hit her away with great force using an Ice Punch.

"It's a weavile! Dia, Air Cutter! Get it away!"

One of the hydreigon's heads intercepted Dia's Air Cutter with a Dark Pulse. The weavile cackled as it immediately sucked in a breath before unleashing a massive Blizzard that blew us all away while still in mid-air.

"Get back! Tino, Safeguard!"

That power in it was unnatural. I bet my money that it must had secretly powered up with a few usages of Nasty Plot or something while it was hidden on hydreigon's back all along.

A sudden vortex of fire engulfed the hydreigon and its rider in a huge pillar of fire and a familiar figure flew into view while riding on a charizard. From another side, an army of flying types flew in and immediately surrounded the pillar of fire, boxing the Rocket in with no way out. On the ground, dangerous looking fire types formed a perimeter, not wanting our target to escape.

Help had arrived.

"Boss! Falkner! You two are late!"

"It's supposed to be my break with the three of you on leave!" My commander yelled back at me. "Arceus damn it, Skye! Why did you keep finding trouble for me to deal with?! What's your damn problem?!"

"I WAS ATTACKED!"

"Skye! Are you okay?!"

"I'm fine!" I shouted back to my older brother, who is riding on Majel, his own pidgeot and starter. "Be very careful! This guy is a Dark Specialist and is very tricky to deal with! He may be on your level!"

"We caught this guy while we were at it." Pyral's emboar held an unconscious zoroark in its grip. "Was casting a wide area illusion around the area, made it hard for us to locate you until your crobat broke it."

As if on cue, Beats and Cosmo flew back to my side, looking battered but also very proud of their achievements.

_'Good job, Cosmo. You too, Beats.'_

_'I will be sure to relay your message to the rowdy one.'_

Trust Cosmo to always be a cool cucumber no matter the circumstances.

"This guy is the poacher from Cherrygrove and he seems to be high up on the command chain within the Rockets!" I quickly relayed what I had learned so far. "We need to apprehend him!"

"Leave this to us, Skye." Falkner said in an authoritative voice as his flying types flew right in front of me and my team, giving me a hint to stay out of the incoming fight. "I'm sure that there are still people out there that needs your help. Battling is my expertise, not yours, so you go do what you do best, search and rescue."

"Falk-"

"You did well, Skye. Now, go. Leave this to us. This is my duty as Gym Leader. Reinforcements are already on their way."

I sent my brother a worried look. He may be a Gym Leader, but he is also my brother.

"Ciel is cooking dinner tonight. Don't be late."

"I won't."

With that, my team and I turned tail and flew out of the area, trusting my commander and my brother to be able to handle themselves.

Falkner better come back alive and in one piece, or I will never forgive him.

* * *

**Name: Skye Bale, 16, Female**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 9****th**** Ranger Regiment, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Staff Sergeant**

**Code Name: Zephyr**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Pidgeot (Crown), male**

**2\. ****Gliscor (Glide), male**

**3\. ****Skarmory (Dia), female**

**4\. ****Crobat (Beats), male**

**5\. ****Jumpluff (Cotton), female**

**6\. ****Dragonite (Tino), female**

**7\. ****Noivern (Echo), male**

**8\. ****Emolga, (Emi), female **

**9\. ****Hawlucha (Hawk), male**

**10\. ****Sigilyph (Cosmo), female**

**11\. ****Aerodactyl (Aria), female**

**12\. ****Masquerain, male**

**Name: Falkner Bale, 25, Male**

**Known affiliation: Johto Police Force, Johto Thirteen Pillars, Violet City Gym Leader**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Pidgeot (Majel), male**

**2\. ****Noctowl**

**3\. ****Fearow**

**4\. ****Dodrio**

**5\. ****Honchkrow**

**6\. ****Xatu**

**7\. ****Crobat**

**8\. ****Skarmory**

**9\. ****Delibird**

**10\. ****Togekiss **

**11\. ****Swellow**

**12\. ****Staraptor**

**13\. ****Pelipper**

**Name: Ciel Bale, 13, Male**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Pidgeotto (Queenie), female**

**2\. ****Wimpod, male**

**Name: Walker Bale, 55, Male**

**Known affiliation: Ex Violet City Gym Leader, Ex member of Johto Thirteen Pillars**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Pidgeot**

**2\. ****Skarmory**

**Name: Jacky Marsh, 19, Male**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: First Lieutenant**

**Code Name: Venom**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Scolipede**

**2\. ****Crobat**

**3\. ****Tentacruel**

**4\. ****Nidoking**

**5\. ****Skuntank**

**6\. ****Venasaur**

**7\. ****Toxicroak**

**8\. ****Weezing**

**9\. ****Dragalge**

**10\. ****Beedrill**

**Name: Amy Rose, 17, Female**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Sergeant First Class**

**Code Name: Powergirl**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Furret**

**2\. ****Pidgeot**

**3\. ****Lopunny**

**4\. ****Ursaring**

**5\. ****Wigglytuff**

**6\. ****Exploud**

**7\. ****Blissey**

**8\. ****Tauros**

**9\. ****Miltank**

**10\. ****Cinccino **

**Name: Adam Clive, 20, Male**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Sergeant First Class**

**Code Name: Nightmare**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Houndoom**

**2\. ****Honchkrow**

**3\. ****Umbreon**

**4\. ****Weavile**

**5\. ****Shiftry**

**6\. ****Sableye**

**7\. ****Greninja**

**8\. ****Hydreigon**

**9\. ****Pangoro**

**10\. ****Krookodile**

**Name: Rufus Grandell, 21, Male**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Master Sergeant**

**Code Name: Torrent**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Poliwrath**

**2\. ****Kingdra**

**3\. ****Dewgong**

**4\. ****Gyarados **

**5\. ****Feraligatr**

**6\. ****Slowking **

**7\. ****Crawdaunt**

**8\. ****Floatzel**

**9\. ****Jellicent**

**10\. ****Golisopod**

**Name: Pyral Furnes, 38, Male**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Lieutenant Colonel**

**Code Name: Cremator **

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Typhlosion**

**2\. ****Arcanine**

**3\. ****Charizard**

**4\. ****Magmortar**

**5\. ****Magcargo **

**6\. ****Alolan Marowak **

**7\. ****Torkoal**

**8\. ****Infernape**

**9\. ****Emboar**

**10\. ****Pyroar**

**11\. ****Chandelure **


	9. Chapter 9- Uneasy Times & Normal Moments

"You lost a _mega stone_."

Falkner have no words to say to that as he stood in front of Lance, the current Champion of Indigo. The loss of his mega stone was a grave mistake that he had committed.

Mega Evolution. A power that allows certain species of pokemon to go beyond their final evolutionary forms with help from their trainer, under the help of certain items. One of them is the rare mega stone. The other is the key stone.

And he lost his mega stone, a Pidgeotite, because he got careless and allowed a Rocket's zoroark to steal it with Thief. He should have made sure that the zoroark had really fainted instead of letting it fool them by playing dead. He shouldn't have gotten himself fooled from such a silly trick.

Some _Gym Leader_ he is.

"I have no excuses." Falkner finally spoke. "I'm willing to accept any punishment."

"If a simple punishment can resolve this, do you think I will be so **_angry?_**" Lance roared out as he slammed his hand on the table. "**Mega Evolution**, Falkner! **Team Rocket** now has a Charizardite Y **_and _**a Pidgeotite! You know how _rare _those are. Do you know how much damage they can bring onto our lands if they have someone capable of mega evolving a charizard _and _a pidgeot? _On top_ of a Rocket who we now confirmed is already able to mega evolve a _houndoom_?! **_Do you?!_**"

"I will hunt him down." Falkner replied as he held back an audible gulp. An angry Lance is not someone anyone will be willing to face at any time.

"How?" Lance questioned, still seething in rage at the whole debacle that had happened thus far. "We don't even know _where _that Rocket had disappeared to! We don't even know where **_any _**of the Rockets went!"

In the background, the TV in Lance's office is still running, showing the news of the attack on Johto National Park. Falkner faintly heard the words of the reporter currently speaking, saying that the death toll is still rising without showing signs of stopping.

The attack on National Park had ended a few hours ago, ever since the Rocket who he rescued Skye from left in a Teleport. After doing what he can as a Gym Leader on site, he was called in by Lance after the Champion found out the entire story from Skye's commander, Pyral Furnes. Pyral himself was given a good lashing from the Champion because of a similar blunder that he had committed. He lost his mega stone, a Charizardite Y, to the Rocket too.

They had been played like suckers. The Rocket obviously knew that they were coming and was waiting for them, fooling them with layers upon layers of deceptions that he was cornered and helpless until he revealed his hand.

The Rocket could have escaped even before they arrived but he didn't, which means he was obviously after their mega stones all along.

Lance isn't happy. Not only had countless innocent lives have been lost, they had confirmed that one of the greatest secrets kept by the Pokemon World League for centuries had been found out by Team Rocket since _Arceus-knows-how-long_ ago. A Team Rocket member had just casually utilised Mega Evolution in front of their eyes, as if taunting them that Team Rocket too, wields the same power that the Indigo League possess. Already, fear is running rampant throughout Indigo and even behind closed doors within the Indigo League itself. This is not good news at all.

The power of Mega Evolution in the hands of the wrong people can bring about irreversible destruction to the region. Like what happened a few hours ago.

"So many died." Lance muttered as he started to pace about frustratedly. "After Team Aqua performed that stunt, crimes across Indigo just increased all of a sudden. It's like every single criminal was inspired by their work. A ripple effect. Even after Team Magma and Team Aqua got wiped by the Hoenn League they still managed to leave an impact on our world, but _at least_ they got wiped ten days after the Lilycove Invasion."

Lance punched the wall in rage.

"And look at **_us_**, the first Pokemon League to be ever founded in history, **_still _**stuck here, **_still _**having problems trying to find out **_who _**the leader of Team Rocket is."

A brief silence fell upon the room.

"The Ranger who was fighting alongside you, the one who also lost his mega stone, the Charizardite Y. I forgot to ask him about this earlier, but do you know why was he there so quickly?"

"My siblings were there at the park to participate in the contest. My sister is also from the same squadron as Pyral. She called him over immediately when disaster struck."

At the words, Lance's head shot up immediately, a look of concern flashed across his eyes.

"They are fine." Falkner quickly reassured Lance. "It was because of them that I know about the attack and managed to reach there in time, but…"

Falkner trailed off, not really wanting to bring up his failure right now.

"Playing the blame game would not help." Lance pinched the bridge of his nose as he closed his eyes to calm himself down. "How did the Rocket play the two of you for suckers anyway? He fooled a Commander from the 1st Regiment _and _a Gym Leader. Now _that _is something we need to review. There is too little that we know about his abilities and any camera footages were somehow wiped. The only people who had a glimpse of that Rocket's full strength were you and Pyral. Pyral had gave me his account, but I want to hear yours too."

"His zoroark was employing a wide area illusion, one so big that I had never seen before." Falkner quickly recounted the events in a concise manner, his training from his experience in the police force automatically kicking in. "My sister, who was the first to find that Rocket, managed to have her crobat and sigilyph to locate the zoroark and break that illusion, allowing me and Pyral to find her. Pyral's emboar supposedly defeated the zoroark and his charizard trapped the Rocket and the rest of his pokemon in a Fire Spin. He only had a hydreigon, weavile, and houndoom on hand that time. None of those pokemon were supposedly capable of impressive defensive capabilities that can properly shield themselves from the Fire Spin."

"And after that?" Lance pressed on.

"After an undetermined period of time, the flames of the Fire Spin was suddenly sucked in by his newly revealed ninetales and we were suddenly on the defensive. Not only was the Rocket unscathed, he somehow found the time to release his entire team and mega evolve his houndoom. The zoroark that was supposed to have fainted escaped Pyral's emboar with a Substitute and then subsequently stole both our mega stones with Thief using the element of surprise."

"And then the Rocket made his escape with a Teleport." Lance completed the story.

"Yes."

"Great." Lance sank in his chair, already feeling a headache forming. "And there's nothing the League and the Government can follow up on because the only Rockets left behind were dead Rockets. The media ripping us into shreds is one thing, the more important thing is that we cannot do _anything _about the Rockets because we have_ no clues_ to follow up on. We cannot even launch a counterattack like what the Hoenn League did on Team Aqua and Team Magma."

"Lance." Falkner spoke up. "I'm not sure if this is related to the Rocket we are talking about, but my sister did bring up a point she found odd."

Lance perked up.

"And what is that?"

"A few months back, there was an incident about prehistoric pokemon getting stolen from a Government sponsored facility and an aerodactyl from there being hypnotised to attack a civilian ship. By some twist of fate, that aerodactyl now belongs to my sister. My sister suspects that the Rocket that stole my mega stone is the same one who hypnotised the aerodactyl, because her aerodactyl went berserk during their first official encounter with the Rocket in Cherrygrove Nature Reserve. There is no other explanation we can think of for aerodactyl's sudden aggressive behaviour. I suspect that Rocket is the Level 9 threat that was responsible for the facility's break-in."

Lance's eyes narrowed.

"Hypnosis. You are saying that the Rocket is capable of _hypnotising _a wild aerodactyl to attack a _specific _civilian ship."

"Yes."

"Believe it or not, this is the _first time_ I'm hearing about this." Lance frowned as his eyes went sharp. "Putting the fact aside that you said a _League _sponsored facility that housed _prehistoric **pokemon**_, which means I will have words with the President later because I have _no idea _about this, did the Rocket you face showed any signs that he may be an expert in Hypnosis?"

"No, but my sister reported that her aerodactyl had been very docile ever since its breaking in after the influence from Hypnosis was removed. Her first encounter with that Rocket was the first time her aerodactyl went berserk for seemingly no reason, even going so far as to breaking formation when such behaviours had ceased after it was fully tamed."

"Give me a moment."

Lance typed on the keyboard on his computer, finally finding the correct files and brought it up on the screen. After quickly reading through the details of the incident Falkner mentioned, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and think.

"I really need to have words with the President. I have no idea why this incident was not brought to my attention when it is clearly under **_my _**jurisdiction, not his. Arceus knows how many more of such cases are purposely diverted away and hidden from me, but yet somehow the President knows everything and chose not to tell me."

Lance looked back up at Falkner.

"And assuming that this Rocket is indeed the one that can control an aerodactyl to fly all the way from the secret facility located on the outskirts of Blackthorn to New Bark Town just to attack _that _one ship on the sea, then his threat level just increased, **_by a lot_**. What was the threat level given to the Rocket that hypnotised the aerodactyl?"

"I checked earlier, it was Level 9."

"And the maximum threat level we can give is 10. There's not much of a point to increase it to 10 when he is already at 9." Lance deadpanned. "If the two Rockets are one and the same, then he needs to be dealt with extreme prejudice. _Immediately_. This is no laughing matter. Hypnosis is a very dangerous move when used by an expert. We need to capture that Rocket immediately, or if that fails, kill him on sight. I will bring this up when I hold an emergency meeting between us Pillars tomorrow."

"Regarding the matter of capturing that Rocket, I volunteer myself for the job." Falkner said immediately. "It's only right."

"Have Morty assist you." Lance added. "He's good at snooping around and gathering information. Since the Rocket is a Dark Specialist, ask Karen and see if she has any advice on how to deal with him. Hopefully, we can make some headway on this matter with you two working together. The faster we know the various bases of Team Rocket and who its leader really is, the faster peace can arrive onto our lands. Already, people are not happy with the Government because of the Kanto ban. I don't want them to feel the same way towards the League. The last thing we need is to deepen the divide between Kanto and Johto. Peace is fragile. The only thing it takes to spark a war is for one idiot with too much power to fire the first big shot."

"I understand." Falkner replied in a solemn tone.

Lance sighed.

"I really hope you do, Falkner. I really hope you do."

* * *

"Big bro!" Ciel ran up to Falkner the moment he reached back home in the dark of the night. He had obviously stayed up to wait for his return. "You're alright!"

"I am." Falkner said in relief as he hugged his younger brother close. He's so glad that his siblings are all alive and fine despite getting themselves caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. "Thank Ho-oh you two are safe."

"Falkner."

Falkner looked up and saw his sister standing by the corridor, a look of relief and concern in her eyes as well.

"Hey, Skye." Falkner greeted as his gaze softened. "You alright?"

"That should be my question to you." She walked up to him, already checking him over with her eyes. "That Rocket was dangerous. Are you alright? I'm starting to think that he might be on your level after my two run-ins with him."

"He got me and Pyral good. We screwed up. He's not quite at the level of a Gym Leader yet in terms of firepower, but he is close." Falkner admitted. "If only he didn't turn onto the dark path, Indigo would have another brilliant trainer in her ranks. A pity."

"... There's a kill-on-sight order on him or something, is there?"

"Yes, but keep this among the three of us. If you ever encounter him alone, run."

"Got it."

_"Kill-on-sight?_" Ciel asked in disbelief, his voice a pitch higher than normal. "I mean, I wasn't _there _so I wouldn't know, but was he _that _strong?"

"Strong is not the same as being dangerous." Falkner corrected. "You can be weaker than someone else, but yet more dangerous than they are. That guy is **_dangerous_**, I cannot stress this enough. I myself will be launching a full scale investigation on that Rocket with Morty helping me. Skye, anything else you know about him that you haven't told me yet?"

"No, I already told you everything I know." Skye replied. "Which isn't much. I just know that he is strong enough to bring down a mamoswine that can rival an ice type of Lorelei's and that he is a very tricky opponent to face, and he also may be the one who had hypnotised and controlled Aria to go after the ship. Other than that? Nothing."

"I will go and heat up dinner." Ciel cut in. "I don't think you had eaten yet, right?"

"You know me so well." Falkner ruffled his brother's hair with a hand. "Thanks, Ciel."

"I'll have to report to camp first thing tomorrow morning." Skye told Falkner the moment Ciel disappeared into the kitchen. "Everyone had been mobilised and is on high alert. I don't think you and Ciel will be seeing me around much for quite a while."

"Got it. Stay safe."

"I will."

* * *

Team Rocket quietened a little after the attack on Johto National Park.

It's not like they fully disappeared or had ceased their terrorist activities altogether, it's just that an attack as large a scale as the one on the park had never popped up again so far. There were numerous attacks conducted by Team Rocket after that day, just being a lot more low-key now that the Indigo League is on high alert.

Almost six months have passed since then. Six months of uneasy lookout as Team Rocket did a couple of atrocious acts every now and then to remind Indigo that they are still around and kicking, gradually getting bolder in their actions. Some of their terrorists acts were prevented in time, but many more aren't. According to Falkner, it's just so hard to find them or to predict their next move. Any member of that organisation caught by the cops or the STAR forces were also not high enough in their food chain to know anything important, so progress was slow.

Pokemon poaching activities had also increased to an all-time high. The entire 1st Regiment is working round the clock to prevent as many poaching activities and arresting as many poachers as we can. I haven't been home for months because of this and I am starting to miss my brothers. The last time I saw them, Ciel was preparing for his examinations. Falkner still hadn't made headway on that dangerous Team Rocket member that nearly killed me twice now. Not even with help from Morty and the occasional aid from Karen.

I don't even know that Rocket's name. Not even an alias. Not even his face since most of it were covered. I don't even know how he managed to trounce me without getting so much as a single scratch. Both times I fought him I just felt so confused because I could not tell how I was getting beaten in our battles. Many details in our battles just don't add up.

Falkner reminded me that the Rocket has a zoroark, which might explain certain things but that can't be all. There must be a trick somehow, something that I am not seeing.

The best thing that happened within the six months was when Jacky and Amy finally returned back from Hoenn after completing the Ever Grande Conference. They finished Top 8 and Top 16 respectively, which are impressive results. Considering that the Ever Grande Conference is a lot bigger in scale this year, the difficulty of this year's conference must be a lot harder than it usually is. Them finishing as somewhere within the Top 16 competitors out of hundreds is already worthy of praise.

The funny thing is that both Amy and Jacky lost to the same challenger. Amy first, then immediately Jacky. Adam is throwing a fit about it, saying something about their losses not reflecting well on Black Squadron because we are the best of the best but now two of our members had just lost to a _little girl_.

Honestly? I'm more impressed that a little girl actually did what I couldn't by somehow beating Jacky. Adam's reactions to Jacky's loss is _hilarious_.

"Thirteen year old, goody-two-shoes! **_THIRTEEN!_** How on fucking earth did **_YOU _**lose to a THIRTEEN YEAR OLD?! YOU ARE **_JACKY!_**_ Our** SECOND-IN-COMMAND!**_"

"Now, she won fair and square." Jacky defended himself. "She got the skills and I admit that I was careless. Should have noticed the trap she was setting up."

"She beat you by using fucking _Baton Pass_! BATON PASS! AND THAT WAS **_YOUR _**SIGNATURE BATTLE STYLE! _How _did you not realise the obvious signs of her setting up a Baton Pass?! That's **_your _**favourite move with your fucking scolipede! **WHO **EVEN USES THAT MOVE NOWADAYS?! "

"Hey, in Jacky's defence, she's _really _good. I got a feeling that we might be watching the rise of Hoenn's version of Cynthia. And _ooooh_. Imagine when I tell my future grandchildren that I once fought against Hoenn's version of Cynthia. **_Epic_**." Amy said in a carefree manner as she snacked on some biscuits.

Excluding the boss, who is an antisocial workaholic, the rest of us are now lounging in what we Rangers affectionately call the "Scramble Room", a place where we just wait and do nothing until an emergency pops up for us to scramble. This room is designed such that we can easily be deployed within minutes. We are in there since it is now our squadron's turn to be on standby. Every single thing we need for swift deployment is in this room.

All we are doing now is waiting for time to pass until the standby period is over in a few hours. Unless there is an emergency during this period, then we will have to scramble immediately. Until then, it is break time.

This period of time is when all the juiciest gossip are shared simply because you are stuck in the Scramble Room with nothing else to do. It is where the best memories of being a Ranger are always made. It is because you are so bored from having to do nothing for hours on end that you have no choice but to socialise, and that's when all the fun stuff happens.

"Firstly, there's no way someone will marry a _weirdo _like you so there's no way you are going to have any grandchildren. Secondly, you have no right to say anything about Jacky's battle, weirdo." Adam pointed a finger at Amy, who simply shrugged without a care. "You fucking **_FORFEITED!_**"

"Her absol used a _Perish Song_." Amy deadpanned. "With two pokemon left on her side while I only had wigglytuff left. What do you think?"

"Well, _genius_, I _think _that you should have just taken _both _her pokemon down before Perish Song's effect was triggered!"

"She's cute." Rufus commented, totally off topic as he used his phone to watch a replay of Jacky's battle against the challenger that we are talking about. The video was easily found on the internet since the Ever Grande Conference fever had not died down yet and the girl's performance was _impressive_. Every single video of her battles in the conference are a hotly searched topic along with some of the other popular competitors like Jacky and Amy. And she is not a Specialist, but one of those rare _Generalist_. To top it up, the girl is the perfect combination of pretty, cute, and beautiful all in one. Someone having such good DNA should be _illegal_. Furthermore, she hails from some sort of noble family in their region from what Amy told me.

Add all these factors together, you get a girl who suddenly became a star overnight.

Even Adam cannot help but drop his jaws when he saw the beautiful little girl having total command over her _tyranitar_, something which _he _hasn't managed to do yet when he is the Dark Specialist. It's hard to earn the respect of such a creature even when they are in the larvitar stage. The contrast of the image of a little girl commanding something as vicious and brutal as a tyranitar somehow just feels so… _contrasting_.

Seriously, can you imagine that? No, seriously, close your eyes and imagine _that_: a little girl commanding a vicious tyranitar. The image just feels so… _off_.

My attention was on how the little girl took down Jacky's nidoking, the cornerstone of his team. However, Rufus' attention is on the admittedly beautiful little girl, not the battle.

"Just think about it. She's already _this _cute." Rufus said dreamily. "Imagine the kind of beauty she will grow into when she grew up."

"Woah, careful there, she's _definitely _underage." I warned. "Jailbait material."

"Jacky said she's thirteen, right? I can wait another five more years."

"You are like, what? Twenty?"

"Twenty-one."

"Even worse."

"Did I tell you guys about this? She's apparently some rich kid, like _super rich_. I couldn't tell until she said so herself." Amy stated, still munching happily on her snacks. "Ever heard of the Veras? That _super_ ancient family that runs the largest pokemon breeding farm in Hoenn? She's the heiress, youngest out of two. She's a freaking _princess_."

"Rufus is right on one thing though. She's definitely a good catch when she grows up. She got both the looks and personality. Hard to think any boy her age will not be smitten by her." Jacky laughed out in good humour.

"My sixth sense is telling me..." Rufus said with a glint in his eyes and a wag of his eyebrows. "Why? You already got your paws on her?"

"Huh? Oh, _no_." Jacky waved it off with a look of horror on his face after understanding what Rufus was insinuating. "Anyway, there's something very interesting about Vel that I found when I talked to her. Want to hear it?"

"Vel?"

"The girl we are talking about for the past ten minutes, Adam. Does anything ever go into your brain?" Amy scoffed.

"The fucking jailbait that took down your pidgeot with a motherfucking noisy **_FLYING pachirisu?_**"

"Yes. Problem?"

"Back to the story." Jacky got everyone's attention on him again with a clap of his hands. "So the both of us were just talking about pokemon in general. She had some really informative things to say about ghost types too, made me really want to catch a gastly for myself after I saw how her banette cleaned house for most of her matches."

"Hey, Rufus." I nudged, another thought filling my mind since I am not that interested in hearing what Jacky has to say. "Imagine if Amy is Vel, what would you say to her to get her interested in you?"

Rufus moved his arms about in a '_what-do-you-want-me-to-do'_ manner.

"What do I say to her?"

"_Are you kidding me?_ You are the resident flirt here! Do your thing!"

"But she's **_Amy_**! Not Vel! I cannot imagine them to be one and the same!" Rufus whined as he pointed a finger at Amy. "You want me to flirt with _her_? It's impossible! Amy's not on my radar because she's flat-"

"**_Rufus Grandell!_**_" _Amy roared. **"Do you want to die?!"**

"... flat… she has a _flattering _figure. Hey, Amy. How's the weather today?"

Amy looked up, obviously spotting nothing but the ceiling since we are in an enclosed room. There's no weather to be seen here.

"Sunny." She looked down to face Rufus with a flat look on her face. "And the weather forecast just predicted that it will be raining blood soon. _Your _blood."

"**_So_** halfway into our conversation, a gengar simply showed up. Like_ poof! _Out from the shadows." Jacky continued his story, cutting into our conversation forcefully because he _absolutely _wants us to listen to his story and now we have no choice but to listen. "We had a nice pleasant conversation about poison and ghost types, especially about the gengar species since it has the poison-ghost typing."

"Hold up." Adam suddenly held up a hand upon hearing this. "Why would there be a _gengar _appearing in front of the two of you from out of nowhere?"

"And I was about to get there if you didn't interrupt me, potty mouth." Jacky replied in an annoyed tone before turning back to face me. Rufus and Amy are still squabbling on the couch behind him, Adam doesn't really seemed like he care too much about the topic, so Jacky's only active audience is now me. "As it turns out, that gengar belongs to Vel's brother, and it is definitely a very well-trained one at first glance. The thing is, _now hear this_, the gengar allowed Vel to _hug _it."

_That _got everyone's attention immediately.

"Wait." Amy jumped out of her seat excitedly. "**_I_** didn't know about **_that_**."

"What's so… special about the hug thing? I hug my pokemon all the time." I asked, puzzled at their reaction.

"Many people don't know about this because ghosts are so rare, but ghosts never allow humans to touch them, _ever_. They don't really have solid bodies, we simply pass right through them." Rufus stated with awe and disbelief mixed in his voice. "They don't even allow their trainers to touch them. Only very few trainers ever claimed to have ever done it, and those are always very experienced Ghost Specialists or Ghost Masters, and they are one of the rarest breeds around. And this Vel, a _thirteen year old child_, managed to not just touch, but **_hug _**a gengar._ GENGAR_, one of the most malicious and strongest ghost types around. It's not even her own pokemon. Friendly ghost or not, it's not possible, man."

"I know, right? But she did it so casually like it is an everyday thing, like how we pick up our phone to answer a call. She doesn't even realise how… _impossible _her actions were." Jacky stated with animated hand gestures. "Of course, I acted like nothing out of the ordinary happened since I have experience in dealing with somebody similar. I mean, we do have a Bird Whispe-"

_"Say that term."_ I warned Jacky with a finger. "I dare you."

"If we already have a _Bird Whisperer _here, I shouldn't be too surprised, right? The world's full of mysterious wonders." Jacky totally ignored my threat as he continues. He is so dead. "The only ghost I saw her using in the conference was a banette, but considering that almost everyone who participated in the conference calls her the '_Ghost Mistress_', she probably is very damn good at interacting with ghost types and probably has _more _that she never showed. I wouldn't be surprised if she is Skye's equivalent, the Ghost Whisperer."

"Now, no offence, Skye, but Ghost Whisperer sounds a lot nicer than-"

I threw a cushion at Rufus, shutting him up before he can speak that blasted stupid term.

_"Wait a sec." _Amy suddenly cut in, scrunching her face in thought. "If you are telling me that she has the ability to _touch ghosts all along_, then does it mean that the banette that she is always carrying around in her arms all this time… is… real..." Amy trailed off, her eyes widening to impossible proportions, an expression of dawning realisation and horror spreading on her face. "I THOUGHT IT WAS A DOLL ALL ALONG!"

"Fucking idiot." Adam muttered as he facepalmed.

"THE BANETTE WASN'T _MOVING_! I WAS STARING AT IT THE WHOLE TIME WHEN I WAS EATING WITH VEL! THE COMBO MEAL! MOSSDEEP TWIN WAFFLES! THE WHOLE TIME! AND THE BANETTE **_NEVER _**MOVED!"

Adam just looked so done with us, especially with Amy.

"And tell me **_why_**, _o wise one_, are you staring at what you think was a fucking _doll _the whole time when you were eating your waffles?"

"IT LOOKED SO LIFELIKE! I _THOUGHT _IT WAS REAL! BUT THEN I WAS LIKE, nah it can't be real~_ COS GHOSTS **CANNOT **BE TOUCHED!_ AND NOW I REALISED THAT IT REALLY **_IS _**REAL! I WAS HAVING MY MEAL WITH A **GHOST **STARING RIGHT IN MY EYES THE **ENTIRE **TIME! AHHHHHH! NOW I'M **CURSSSSEDDDD**!"

I cannot help it. I am now rolling on the ground breaking out in peals of laughter. Typical Amy.

"Holy water! I need holy water!" Amy is now running around the lounge in a panic. "Or a Cleanse Tag! Anything! **_Something!_**"

"Calm down, Amy." Rufus tried to pacify the now panicking Amy, who always had been a little superstitious when it comes to ghost types. I suspect her irrational fear of ghosts is why she becomes a Normal Specialist in the first place, because ghost type moves have no effect against normal types. "I'm sure-"

"AHHH! YOU TOUCHED ME! NOW **YOU **ARE CURSED TOO! YOU NEED HOLY WATER TOO!"

"Fuck. This. Shit." Adam groaned as he squatted on the floor with his hands over his face. "Why am I friends with you idiots?"

My laughter just got louder. In fact, I am now rolling on the couch and I'm laughing to the point that my stomach actually _hurts_.

_Vrr...Vrr..._

The sudden vibration of Jacky's phone on the coffee table got everyone to miraculously quiet down in an instant. Everyone's gaze was suddenly onto it.

Guess whose name popped up on Jacky's phone screen?

"V-V-Vel?" Amy's face was one of epic horror when she spotted the girl's name on the phone's screen. "AHHH! JACKY! **_YOU _**ARE CURSED TOO?! THE BANETTE'S CURSE FOLLOWED US HERE BACK TO JOHTO! RUN, SKYE! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE! YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE LEFT BECAUSE ADAM DOESN'T COUNT! LEAVE ADAM BEHIND AND RUN! GO! DON'T LOOK BACK! RUN!"

"There's…" I am breathless at this point with how hysterical I am laughing right now. "There's no curse!"

**"THERE IS!"**

"A Normal Specialist afraid of a ghost type. Typing wise, this is so wrong." Rufus commented with a wide grin on his face. "Hey, Jacky! Answer the call! I want to hear the cutie's voice!"

"You guys better not scare her away with your antics." Jacky said jokingly. "She is probably calling me to ask about poison types, since I offered to give her some advice if she ever wants to add one into her team."

"_Way_ to go to get a girl's number." I teased before throwing suggestive glances at Rufus. "Been learning from the master here?"

"Please, he scares girls away more than he attracts them." Jacky rebutted.

"Oi, I take offence to that. I'm a gentleman."

The call was picked up, and the voice of a young girl could be heard through the phone.

"Jacky? Is that you? Oh thank goodness. I was starting to think that I got the wrong number somehow."

"Sorry, my Ranger friends were being a handful." Jacky spoke over the phone which he put on speaker. "Phone's on speaker, by the way. My friends all wanted to meet you after watching how your espeon destroyed me. Word of warning, one of them is very vulgar. Adam, say hi!"

"Fuck you."

"Ew, no thanks." Was the immediate reply to Adam's words over the phone. The rest of us were simply stumped into silence.

"I like this one." I decided immediately. "Hey there, name's Skye! Nice to meet you, Vel! Good job beating Jacky and Amy!"

"Thanks. Hello to you too, Skye. I'm- Wait, _Amy_? As in _Amy Rose_? You know her?"

"VEL! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THAT THE BANETTE YOU WERE CARRYING AROUND WAS A REAL ONE AND NOT A DOLL?!" Amy wailed out. "NOW I'M **CURSED **BECAUSE I WAS STARING AT ITS EYES AND WHAT IF THIS CURSE IS CONTAGIOUS AND-"

"Wait, what?_ Amy? _Is that really you? How did you know Jacky? And Jacky! Why didn't you tell me that you were friends with Amy?!" The child at the other end of the line is now obviously confused at what is going on. I'm not blaming her. It takes quite a while to get used to our brand of crazy.

"Surprise, surprise." Jacky replied in a carefree manner. "Ignore Amy, she's just being overly superstitious about ghost types."

"_Surprise, surprise_ doesn't answer my question." I nearly laughed again when I can hear the literal deadpan through the phone. This girl has _character_.

"You are calling me because you have questions on poison types, right?" Jacky dodged the topic entirely as he carries on the conversation. "Finally deciding to add one to your team?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. But you know of my concerns when it comes to poison types, they aren't exactly very healthy."

"Well, jailbait, isn't unhealthy the whole point of _poison_?" Adam rolled his eyes with a scoff.

There was a brief silence over the phone before Vel spoke up again.

"Well, Mr Polite, wasn't the whole point of me saying _no thanks_ earlier a big enough clue that I'm **_not _**interested in talking to you? Shoo, I'm talking to Jacky here."

I'm starting to really like this little girl.

"That's a new name for Adam that we can use." Rufus pointed out before speaking into the phone. "Good job for thinking of that, Vel! My name's Rufus! Call me up for a date if you ever want a boyfriend, okay? I'm a gentleman! I don't bite!"

"He does bite when he's drunk." Jacky quickly pushed Rufus away with a hand to stop him from embarrassing us further. "Sorry about that, but that's how my friends are. In Johto, people from the Rangers are always kind of crazy."

"I don't even know you and Amy are in the Rangers. I couldn't tell." Was the reply over the phone. "Anyway, do you have any recommendations for me?"

"I remember you saying that you are afraid that prolonged exposure to poison types might deteriorate your already frail health, right?" Jacky asked, which was confirmed by the little girl on the other end of the line. "Where are you planning to get your new poison type from anyway? Surely you have a location in mind? Maybe we can work with what you can possibly find in that area first."

"My family's farm, actually." Vel replied. "I really don't want to wander too far now that I have a baby cleffa to take care of. She's a little delicate to handle."

Jacky and Vel continue to have their conversation while the four of us left them alone to talk it out, with Jacky giving advice on what species of poison type the girl should add onto her team. It surprised me that this girl with an affinity for ghosts is a _Generalist_. If she has such an affinity for ghost types, why not aim to be a Ghost Specialist? It's _difficult _to be a Generalist. Generalists have no specialisations because they specialise in _everything_.

The road to be a true Generalist is absurdly difficult, there's no way to stress this enough. They need a lot of time and resources to learn. Their pokemon team tend to get overly huge at first because most of them have to get all eighteen pokemon types into their team to start learning how to be a proper Generalist. Assuming it is the minimum of one pokemon per type on a Generalist's team, that is still _eighteen _pokemon, not a small number by any means.

It's not easy to manage such a big group of pokemon, especially when you progress to the higher levels, because each type and species of pokemon have their own personality, temper, and traits that differ too much from each other. It's hard to get them to mesh well together and work as a team. Conflicts between your pokemon are bound to happen and from there, it is a matter of how bloody it gets and how you resolve it. It's where your skills as a trainer are truly put to the test.

Specialists have it much easier because pokemon of the same typing usually exhibits similar traits and characteristics, which makes them easier to manage as a whole. The only downside is the lack of variety, but many others face the same problem too, so it ended up not being a problem when _everyone else_ is facing the same problem.

There's a good reason why trainers are wary of their pokemon team getting too big. Once a pokemon team got too big, most trainers are forced to give some pokemon away or release them because sometimes, it is just simply _impossible _for one trainer to manage so many pokemon or earn enough to feed them all. As Rangers, sometimes we would encounter such cases, helping such trainers to release their pokemon properly back into the wild or to find them a new home with another trainer that can give them the proper care.

The worst case scenario of anybody owning an overly large pokemon team would be a mismanaged or neglected pokemon simply lashing out and hurting their trainer out of stress or rage. That's why it is not easy to be a Generalist despite the long list of pros to being one, because their teams _will _get big and the trainer will inevitably hit their limit. When they do, they will have no choice but to release or give away some of their pokemon to get their team into a manageable size. Knowing when to stop adding pokemon and when to let go of them is also a key part of being a pokemon trainer, because pokemon are living creatures like humans as well. No one likes to get neglected.

Sometimes, the best form of love you can give to a pokemon is to let them go.

Of course, there are always trainers that are exceptions to the rule of having an overly large team. There _are _cases of trainers capable of managing a literal army of pokemon. However, such trainers, as far as I know, belonged to the history books. There are no trainers currently alive that I know of that are capable of replicating such a feat. Currently, the most number of pokemon anyone had ever gotten in their team was somewhere in the twenties if my memory serves me right.

Generalists have to learn _a lot_ of things. They require a lot of practical hands-on experience to be a good one. They need to be capable of managing an overly huge team of pokemon and to also immediately recognise when and where their limit is. You cannot play favourites, at least not overly so.

I heard that even the likes of Cynthia, a renowned Generalist and Sinnoh's Champion, had to significantly downsize her team at a point in her training career when she was younger. It's simply not easy trying to be a Generalist when pokemon are real living creatures, where they are their own beings with their own personalities, thoughts, and dreams.

The little girl beat **_Jacky_**, which means she _must _be doing things right. Princess of her region or not, her skills can only be something that she acquired after years of practice and hard work. There's no shortcut to this. I have no idea how the little girl did it.

Then again, she lives together with an entire farm of pokemon. Her family owns the largest pokemon breeding farm in Hoenn. Assuming that she had mingled with a diverse range of pokemon ever since she was still in her diapers, it's not… _impossible _for her to acquire the skills she needs to be a good Generalist even before she sets out on her journey.

I still find it hard to believe though. She must be a child loved by pokemon no matter how I think about it.

"So, yeah, something from the nidoran line would be best for you given your circumstances and given the species of poison types living on your family's farm. Whether you want a nidoking or nidoqueen is really up to you though. They are practically the same in battles, except that nidoking has stronger offensive powers while nidoqueen has stronger defence. Which one you need really boils down to how you are planning to train them and what role they are going to fill in your team."

Oh boy, a Generalist that beat _Jacky _getting a nidoking or a nidoqueen on her team? Also getting advice from an expert on the nidoran line? I pity her future opponents already. We are grooming a little Cynthia here.

Watch out world, the Black Squadron of the 1st Regiment from the Johto Ranger Force is grooming the next_ Hoenn Champion_, the next Sinnoh's Cynthia. She's only _thirteen_. Imagine the things she can do when she becomes an adult.

"VEL! DE-CURSE ME! PLEASE!"

"Can someone shut the weirdo up? This is getting annoying." Adam muttered as Amy is still making a big fuss about having stared into the eyes of a banette. It is an old superstition in Johto that one should never directly stare into the eyes of ghosts and Amy is freaking out all over it.

"Shut up, Mr Polite." Rufus and I retorted as one while I try my best to pacify Amy and telling her that _no_, she is **_not _**cursed.

It's not working. She is still yelling.

"I will fucking murder all of you."

"I will set Aria on your ass."

* * *

**Name: Skye Bale, 16, Female**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 9****th**** Ranger Regiment, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Staff Sergeant**

**Code Name: Zephyr**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Pidgeot (Crown), male**

**2\. ****Gliscor (Glide), male**

**3\. ****Skarmory (Dia), female**

**4\. ****Crobat (Beats), male**

**5\. ****Jumpluff (Cotton), female**

**6\. ****Dragonite (Tino), female**

**7\. ****Noivern (Echo), male**

**8\. ****Emolga, (Emi), female **

**9\. ****Hawlucha (Hawk), male**

**10\. ****Sigilyph (Cosmo), female**

**11\. ****Aerodactyl (Aria), female**

**12\. ****Masquerain (Heli), male**

**Name: Falkner Bale, 25, Male**

**Known affiliation: Johto Police Force, Johto Thirteen Pillars, Violet City Gym Leader**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Pidgeot (Majel), male**

**2\. ****Noctowl**

**3\. ****Fearow**

**4\. ****Dodrio**

**5\. ****Honchkrow**

**6\. ****Xatu**

**7\. ****Crobat**

**8\. ****Skarmory**

**9\. ****Delibird**

**10\. ****Togekiss **

**11\. ****Swellow**

**12\. ****Staraptor**

**13\. ****Pelipper**

**Name: Ciel Bale, 13, Male**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Pidgeotto (Queenie), female**

**2\. ****Wimpod, male**

**Name: Walker Bale, 55, Male**

**Known affiliation: Ex Violet City Gym Leader, Ex member of Johto Thirteen Pillars**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Pidgeot**

**2\. ****Skarmory**

**Name: Jacky Marsh, 19, Male**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: First Lieutenant**

**Code Name: Venom**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Scolipede**

**2\. ****Crobat**

**3\. ****Tentacruel**

**4\. ****Nidoking**

**5\. ****Skuntank**

**6\. ****Venasaur**

**7\. ****Toxicroak**

**8\. ****Weezing**

**9\. ****Dragalge**

**10\. ****Beedrill**

**Name: Amy Rose, 17, Female**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Sergeant First Class**

**Code Name: Powergirl**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Furret**

**2\. ****Pidgeot**

**3\. ****Lopunny**

**4\. ****Ursaring**

**5\. ****Wigglytuff**

**6\. ****Exploud**

**7\. ****Blissey**

**8\. ****Tauros**

**9\. ****Miltank**

**10\. ****Cinccino **

**Name: Adam Clive, 20, Male**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Sergeant First Class**

**Code Name: Nightmare**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Houndoom**

**2\. ****Honchkrow**

**3\. ****Umbreon**

**4\. ****Weavile**

**5\. ****Shiftry**

**6\. ****Sableye**

**7\. ****Greninja**

**8\. ****Hydreigon**

**9\. ****Pangoro**

**10\. ****Krookodile**

**Name: Rufus Grandell, 21, Male**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Master Sergeant**

**Code Name: Torrent**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Poliwrath**

**2\. ****Kingdra**

**3\. ****Dewgong**

**4\. ****Gyarados **

**5\. ****Feraligatr**

**6\. ****Slowking **

**7\. ****Crawdaunt**

**8\. ****Floatzel**

**9\. ****Jellicent**

**10\. ****Golisopod**

**Name: Pyral Furnes, 38, Male**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Lieutenant Colonel**

**Code Name: Cremator **

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Typhlosion**

**2\. ****Arcanine**

**3\. ****Charizard**

**4\. ****Magmortar**

**5\. ****Magcargo **

**6\. ****Alolan Marowak **

**7\. ****Torkoal**

**8\. ****Infernape**

**9\. ****Emboar**

**10\. ****Pyroar**

**11\. ****Chandelure **


	10. Chapter 10- Tension

The only time when the respective League forces of both the Kanto and Johto regions will ever come together is when we have to represent Indigo as a collective whole.

For instance, Indigo National Day.

Every year, there will be a parade held at Indigo Plateau itself. On that day, it doesn't matter which region you hail from. As long as you are an Indigo citizen, you will feel a sense of national pride as the Indigo flag was raised high into the sky. For that one day, no one really cares if you are a Kantonian or a Johtonian because we all belong to one big family that is Indigo.

The typical flow of the National Day parade every year goes something like this. The moment the parade started, the first thing to happen will be the military procession. The military procession is a big highlight of the event every year, showcasing the three main forces that make up the Indigo League. STAR, Rangers, Police. The best of the best of the three forces from both Kanto and Johto will come together to put on the best show we can offer.

It is not just to wow the audience who will make their way down to Indigo Plateau that day. The entire National Day parade is televised live on TV that will be broadcast to the entire world. The whole world will be seeing this. It is a matter of pride.

Not the entire 1st Regiment will be involved in the rehearsals. On Johto's side, only Black and Yellow squadron are involved this year. On Kanto's side, they have three squadrons. Together, the five squadrons will work together to put on a show that hopefully surpasses those of the previous years.

This is my first participation in Indigo's National Day parade. The rest of my squadron had been involved in the military procession before so they know what to expect, but not me.

I really wasn't expecting there to be such a huge divide between Kanto and Johto.

"So…" I asked slowly as our squadron sat by a corner of the room we are in that we are also sharing with another few squadrons of Kanto's 1st Regiment. "I take it that this is a normal occurrence."

"Yeah, we don't mix." Adam confirmed as we all ate the food packed for us. We are having a short lunch break until the rehearsals start again. Right now, we are in a Ranger Camp at Indigo Plateau where the Ranger forces of both Kanto and Johto mix together. This is the venue for the Rangers rehearsal practices for the military procession.

The rehearsals are no joke. Everything has to be _perfect_. It's _tiring_.

"Last time anybody tried, it somehow turned into a free-for-all." Rufus offered. "And- oh. Hey, anyone wants my brinjal? I don't eat those."

"Gimme." Amy used her plastic fork to grab it before continuing the conversation. "And, yeah. It's not like _nobody _tried, but everytime someone does, somebody else will somehow bring up sensitive topics and then a big argument will inevitably start. And you know us Rangers. If one gets involved-"

"-the whole squadron gets involved." Jacky completed Amy's sentence.

"So just save me a headache and just stick close together." Pyral emphasised. "If you want to mingle, then mingle with those from our region. The higher ups from Kanto and Johto are having a ridiculous enough dick measuring contest as it is. I don't need more drama here."

"And **_don't _**bring up the Kanto ban." Jacky lowered his voice into a whisper so that only we could hear him. "That thing is a recipe for disaster. Not when tensions between both regions are at an all time high."

"I don't think we need to worry about Skye. She knows when to keep her mouth shut." Rufus said with a wave of his hand before his gaze turned to a certain potty mouth. "Someone else, on the other hand…"

There was a collective turn of heads.

"Why the fucking hell are you guys looking at me?"

"The last time we were here, you nearly started a bar fight when you were drunk." Pyral stated with a twitch of his left eye. "Thank Ho-oh Liz was there to contain the situation."

"In my defence, that fucker-"

"Adam." Jacky stopped our resident troublemaker with a hand. "It doesn't matter who is right or wrong. If a fight starts, everyone is in the wrong."

"Yeah, and don't forget the punishments. If we got extra duties because of you, I'm going to strangle you." Rufus added.

"Have more fucking faith in me, would you?"

"In any case, I'm sure there will be some idiots from _there_." Pyral gestured subtly with his head to where the Kanto forces are sitting at another side of the room. "Will purposely find some way to start a fight because of all the recent tension from the Kanto ban. Just make sure you guys stick together at all times. If you need to go elsewhere, make sure you guys at least stick together in pairs."

"Fucking Senator Langley just have to open up a whole can of worms."

"What does he get out of it though?" I questioned. "He's a Johtonian. Doesn't make much sense."

"Do politicians ever make sense?"

"Point."

We quickly finished up our meal and disposed of it properly. There is still half an hour left until the rehearsal starts again.

"Skye, restroom?" Amy asked.

"Sure." I replied, Pyral's words still clear in my mind about sticking together at all times.

"Don't stir any trouble for me." Pyral muttered as he leaned against a wall from where he is sitting on the floor before closing his eyes to get himself a short break, his torkoal resting beside him.

"Aye sir."

Everything turned out alright until Amy and I were on our way back to rejoin our squadron. We bumped into four Rangers from the Kanto's 1st Regiment along the way.

And they started to pick a fight.

"Look who we have here, _Johtonians_."

Amy and I ignored the sneer sent our way. Ever since the emergence of the topic of what everyone refers to as the 'Kanto ban', conflicts between Kanto and Johto had been on the rise. It's not the type of conflict you see on TV, but those that you feel when you walk the streets.

"Look at how high and mighty our oppressors walk. Of course, they have the right to since they profited at _our _expense."

Amy and I hurried our pace and pretend that they don't exist. The last thing we need is a fight.

"Hey, **_look _**at us when we talk to you."

An outstretched arm blocked our way as the hand on it slammed against the wall on our right, effectively preventing us from walking straight ahead.

"Hi." I replied as my line of sight slowly traveled up to look at the muscled guy standing in front of us, not really knowing what to say because it seems that no matter what we do, they will find something to pick a fight about. "Can I help you?"

"_Can I help you_?" One of his companions mocked me with a jeer. "Why don't you help us by _getting the fuck out of here_. Indigo Plateau is _Kanto's _territory."

"_Fuck off_, Johtonian. Stop exploiting our homeland. Fucking Kanto ban had already ruined us for two decades."

Right now, I really wish that I have a way to contact my squadron _somehow_ that doesn't involve a big commotion.

"We will the moment the parade is over." Amy stated factually, because our squadron and Yellow Squadron had been temporarily posted here to avoid continuous daily commuting between Violet and the Indigo Plateau just for the sake of rehearsals. There are still _weeks _to go before the entire thing is over.

"How about we make you two bitches fuck off right now."

"If this is what I think I'm seeing, then everyone is in trouble."

A woman in her forties with shoulder length red hair stood at the end of the corridor we are at. All of us have no choice but to salute.

"Ma'am."

"Skye, Amy, I need some help to move some boxes. The rest of you, go back to wherever you come from."

"Yes, Ma'am!"

Begrudgingly, the four Kanto Rangers walked off, muttering things like '_Johto Bastards_' and '_Oppressors_' among other choice words as they disappeared.

"Thank you, ma'am." Amy and I thanked her sincerely. Things would have really gone out of control if the Yellow Squadron Commander of the 1st Regiment from the Johto Ranger Force, Sophia Nate, didn't appear when she did.

"They didn't… do anything to you two, did they?" Sophia asked with a concerned frown on her face as she walked up to us.

"No, ma'am. You had perfect timing."

"Pyral was a little worried when he saw those four walking out of the room shortly after you two went to the restroom." Sophia stated as she gestured for us to follow her. We walked off in a different direction from the earlier bullies. "Obviously, the rest of your squadron cannot follow you to the female restroom, so he asked for my help."

"Sweet of him." Amy commented.

"Sad thing is, it wouldn't do well for us to punish the Kantonian Rangers even if they are the ones to start a fight." Sophia sighed as we reached a storeroom of sorts that is filled with cardboard boxes. Guess she wasn't lying when she said that she has boxes for us to move. "Kanto ban is already a sensitive topic as it is. Anything we do will just be seen as us oppressing them, because we are Johtonians."

"I imagine this situation is the same everywhere."

"STAR definitely has it worse." Sophia deadpanned as we called out some of our smaller pokemon to help us shift the boxes. "STAR is a combat force where all the biggest, baddest, strongest trainers gather. Fill that with a healthy dose of testosterone, Elite level trainers, combined with the resentment some of the Kantonians have for Indigo, you get a wonderful concoction."

"Sometimes I wonder what the Rangers will be without us girls keeping them in line." Amy grumbled as she stacked some of the boxes together so that it will be easier to carry later.

"Having a sword fight with their weenies, probably." Sophia snorted. "Ho-oh knows how I handled my rowdy boys. Sometimes I wonder how I managed to last this long."

I think Commander Sophia is saying what she is saying because she is the only female squadron commander in the 1st Regiment, and her entire squadron is made up of males with her as the only exception. She's like the big mum of Yellow Squadron, from what I heard. Some of her Rangers even affectionately call her 'Ma' because of that.

"Next time, I'm going to get a female Ranger on my squadron so that I won't suffer alone." Sophia grunted as we finally loaded up all the required boxes she needs onto a huge trolley. "Screw those stupid masculinity. I have had enough of their tauros crap ever since I joined the Rangers three decades ago."

"Maybe it will help if we… you know…" Amy did a snipping motion with her fingers near the lower part of her body where a man's family jewels are supposed to be located.

I cannot help but snort out a laugh.

"Maybe, Amy. Maybe."

* * *

The Ranger camp at Indigo Plateau is one of the few camps that are fully equipped with any and every type of training facility that Indigo can offer. Naturally, I am drawn to the Aerial Obstacle Course.

Thus, our entire squadron except our commander, who complained that he needed to catch up on his beauty sleep, made our way there. However…

"Oh for fuck's sake." Adam grumbled under his breath when he saw who was already there.

Kanto Rangers. To add on, I recognise the same four Rangers who harrassed Amy and I that day.

"The time slot we booked is at 1630 hrs." Jacky shrugged. "They technically have three minutes left. Let's just wait."

The Kanto Rangers had also spotted us. Many of them are sending us death glares in our way.

"Hey, Skye." Amy poked me with a finger. "Is he a better flier than you?"

We all looked at who Amy was looking at. A large pidgeot carrying a big muscled man on its back flew expertly in the air, avoiding all the obstacles in the smoothest and fastest way possible.

The same big-sized muscled man who blocked Amy and I that day. He's also a Flying Specialist?

"He's good." I admitted. "If you really want to compare the both of us, I really don't know which one of us is the better flier unless we race each other."

I had kept my voice to as low and as soft as possible, but somehow one of the Kanto Rangers still heard it.

"Oi, Liam!" One of the Rangers watching the muscled man shouted out at him while pointing a finger at me. "That girly said she's as good as you! Show her we Kantonians are better!"

The pidgeot changed direction in midair as Liam and his pidgeot landed smoothly back to where his friends are. The muscled man got off his pidgeot's back before turning to stare at me.

"You said that?"

"He twisted my words." I replied flatly. "I simply said that I have no idea which one of us is the better flier."

"Then we shall see, _Johtonian_." The muscled man sneered as he cracked his knuckles, his pidgeot giving a bark of challenge. "Call out your best flier."

"Hey, hold on." Jacky intervened as he subtly shifted himself to be in front of me, hands held out in a placating manner. "We are not here to pick a fight."

"I'm here to _compete_, not fight." Liam curled his lips in contempt as he said this. "As a flier, there's no way I can back down when there's someone who _claims _to be my equal."

"Liam's the best flier in our regiment, maybe even the whole of Kanto." One of the other Kanto Rangers, who seems a little more easygoing, added. "He has this habit of challenging every single flier he sees."

"Look, I still don't like you, _Johtonians_." Liam pointed a finger at us in an unfriendly way. "But this is a challenge between fliers. My pride as a flier is on the line. Either you accept it, or buzz off."

"Technically, **_you _**fuckers should buzz off instead because it is past 1630 hrs now, so it's **_our _**turn to use the place." Adam countered with a growl.

"You want to fight, Johtonian?!" Another Ranger from the side stepped forward, and I can feel the literal gunpowder about to spark in the air.

"Fine. Let's fly." I quickly said loud enough for everyone to hear, hoping that this can possibly stop the escalation of what I suspect will be a big brawl.

"Skye." Jacky had this very serious and exasperated look on his face. I can already imagine him screaming at me '_What have you done?!_' in the confines of my mind. "Do you **_remember _**what boss told us?"

"To not cause trouble." I repeated Pyral's words back at Jacky. "But I'm simply _racing _with the big guy there, I'm not causing trouble."

I turned back to Liam, arms crossed across my chest with a very unimpressed look on my face, cos screw this stupid pride and national divide crap. Can't everyone just get along with each other?

"If we want to race, there's a few things I want to make clear before we start." I held up a finger as I said this. "One, this has nothing to do with who is from where. This is between fliers. Don't drag other forms of sentiments unrelated to our race into this. Two, this is all in good fun. If you plan to be a sore loser, then get out of here. If you want to use this as an excuse to pick a fight, get lost. Three, loser treats the winner chocolates of their own choosing, no backing out."

"Sore loser? I think you-"

Liam held out his massive arm to stop his Ranger friend from speaking.

"Deal." He growled out. "Like I said, the only thing of importance here is my pride as a flier. I won't let my personal emotions smudge this race. You have my word."

I offered my hand to Liam, who after staring at it for a few seconds, caught the hint and shook it. With that, our "pact" is cemented.

"So, what's the rules?" I asked as I tied up my long hair into a ponytail so that it won't get in my way later. Liam and I stood by the edge of an artificial cliff. Right in front of us are various obstacles designed to mimic real life terrain that we might find ourselves in during our missions.

"We each choose a route to start from. The winner is the one who finishes first at the end point over there." Liam pointed towards the end point with a finger. "Also, no sabotage. No pokemon moves. Just a clean race. The only thing you will be bringing along are your skills. If you want to race me, I won't accept anything other than your very **_best_**, Johto girl."

Liam walked to a specific spot far away from where he was flying earlier.

"I was practicing with Route A earlier, so to keep things fair I will use a different route. So don't be a _sore loser_ when you lose later, _girl_."

I rolled my eyes as I wore a flying helmet over my head before calling out Crown from his pokeball.

"To keep things fair so that **_you _**won't be a sore loser later, I will use a pidgeot too."

Crown gave a squawk to back me up. Good boy.

"Heh." Liam had a predatory grin on his face. "You got _spunk_, I'll give you that. Too bad you are a Johtonian."

"Still a Ranger like you. There's no difference." I countered as I climbed onto Crown's back. After looking around, we chose a starting point for ourselves.

"May the best flier win." I offered when the countdown to the start of the race started.

"Likewise."

**"GO!"**

The moment the digital voice sounded from the speakers, both our pidgeots shot off into the air. This particular obstacle course mimics those of a large and dense forest, filled with huge trees with thick trunks and branches. The leaves are dense and visibility is low because of that, because light had already been severely filtered when they shine down from above. The whole point of this obstacle course is to train fliers to be able to fly within such an area when flying above it is somehow not an option.

However, I specialised in Ground and Mountain Search and Rescue Operations. Crown and I had our fill of flying in such forests.

Crown weaved through the obstacles in twists and turns, with me guiding him by tugging at his feathers to give him my silent signal and digging my feet into his sides. Along the way, the hidden obstacles set in the obstacle course were activated. Trees will fall out of nowhere and leaves will suddenly shower down to block your vision. These are just some of the many surprises that you can find in here.

Still not a problem for Crown and I.

Crown and I emerged from the other end of the forest first. About a second or two later, Liam and his pidgeot followed suit.

"Go, Crown!"

I can hear the shouts and cheers both our squadrons are giving as our pidgeots flew as fast as they could. The route from the end of the forest to the finishing line is just a straight route with no obstacles. The only thing that can win us the race is pure speed.

And Liam is catching up even when his pidgeot is carrying his big heavy self.

The both of us zoomed past the finishing line at around the same time. I have no idea who won since we were literally neck to neck.

"OLIVER!" Liam literally bellowed the moment his pidgeot braked to a stop. "WHO WON?!"

"We are checking the cams! I'm bringing up the timings on the screen!" Someone shouted back from the control room. I think I see Adam standing behind that guy's back, glaring at him like a guard dog on duty. He's probably there to ensure that the Oliver guy doesn't play foul.

Potty mouth he may be, but he is still a good friend to have.

Both of our timings flashed on the big screen. My jaws dropped.

"Well, I'll be." Liam spoke the moment he saw our timing, differing only by 0.07 seconds. He then turned his head to face me.

"A race's a race. What kind of chocolates do you want, Johto girl?"

* * *

**Name: Skye Bale, 16, Female**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 9****th**** Ranger Regiment, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Staff Sergeant**

**Code Name: Zephyr**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Pidgeot (Crown), male**

**2\. ****Gliscor (Glide), male**

**3\. ****Skarmory (Dia), female**

**4\. ****Crobat (Beats), male**

**5\. ****Jumpluff (Cotton), female**

**6\. ****Dragonite (Tino), female**

**7\. ****Noivern (Echo), male**

**8\. ****Emolga, (Emi), female **

**9\. ****Hawlucha (Hawk), male**

**10\. ****Sigilyph (Cosmo), female**

**11\. ****Aerodactyl (Aria), female**

**12\. ****Masquerain (Heli), male**

**Name: Falkner Bale, 25, Male**

**Known affiliation: Johto Police Force, Johto Thirteen Pillars, Violet City Gym Leader**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Pidgeot (Majel), male**

**2\. ****Noctowl**

**3\. ****Fearow**

**4\. ****Dodrio**

**5\. ****Honchkrow**

**6\. ****Xatu**

**7\. ****Crobat**

**8\. ****Skarmory**

**9\. ****Delibird**

**10\. ****Togekiss **

**11\. ****Swellow**

**12\. ****Staraptor**

**13\. ****Pelipper**

**Name: Ciel Bale, 13, Male**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Pidgeotto (Queenie), female**

**2\. ****Wimpod, male**

**Name: Walker Bale, 55, Male**

**Known affiliation: Ex Violet City Gym Leader, Ex member of Johto Thirteen Pillars**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Pidgeot**

**2\. ****Skarmory**

**Name: Jacky Marsh, 19, Male**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: First Lieutenant**

**Code Name: Venom**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Scolipede**

**2\. ****Crobat**

**3\. ****Tentacruel**

**4\. ****Nidoking**

**5\. ****Skuntank**

**6\. ****Venasaur**

**7\. ****Toxicroak**

**8\. ****Weezing**

**9\. ****Dragalge**

**10\. ****Beedrill**

**Name: Amy Rose, 17, Female**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Sergeant First Class**

**Code Name: Powergirl**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Furret**

**2\. ****Pidgeot**

**3\. ****Lopunny**

**4\. ****Ursaring**

**5\. ****Wigglytuff**

**6\. ****Exploud**

**7\. ****Blissey**

**8\. ****Tauros**

**9\. ****Miltank**

**10\. ****Cinccino **

**Name: Adam Clive, 20, Male**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Sergeant First Class**

**Code Name: Nightmare**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Houndoom**

**2\. ****Honchkrow**

**3\. ****Umbreon**

**4\. ****Weavile**

**5\. ****Shiftry**

**6\. ****Sableye**

**7\. ****Greninja**

**8\. ****Hydreigon**

**9\. ****Pangoro**

**10\. ****Krookodile**

**Name: Rufus Grandell, 21, Male**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Master Sergeant**

**Code Name: Torrent**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Poliwrath**

**2\. ****Kingdra**

**3\. ****Dewgong**

**4\. ****Gyarados **

**5\. ****Feraligatr**

**6\. ****Slowking **

**7\. ****Crawdaunt**

**8\. ****Floatzel**

**9\. ****Jellicent**

**10\. ****Golisopod**

**Name: Pyral Furnes, 38, Male**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Lieutenant Colonel**

**Code Name: Cremator **

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Typhlosion**

**2\. ****Arcanine**

**3\. ****Charizard**

**4\. ****Magmortar**

**5\. ****Magcargo **

**6\. ****Alolan Marowak **

**7\. ****Torkoal**

**8\. ****Infernape**

**9\. ****Emboar**

**10\. ****Pyroar**

**11\. ****Chandelure **


	11. Chapter 11- Fliers

"Chocolate ain't half bad."

"That's why I wanted it." I said as Liam and I both munched on the chocolates he bought as per our agreement. The big guy even bought chocolates for everyone on both our squadrons.

Hence, the biggest unbelievable sight in the Indigo Plateau Ranger Camp is born. Two squadrons, both from different regions that are currently squabbling with each other due to political reasons, sitting in the cafeteria around the same table munching on chocolates.

All because of a race.

"Don't think I officially introduced myself." Liam said as he finished the last of his chocolates. "Master Sergeant Liam Davis. Kanto Ranger Force, 1st Regiment, Blue Squadron."

"Staff Sergeant Skye Bale. Johto Ranger Force, 1st Regiment, Black Squadron." I offered. "Nice to meet you."

"Wait, that oh-shit-squadron?" Someone on Liam's squadron asked.

"Great." Adam facepalmed at the name. "Even the Kantonians know about that."

"We really don't have the best of luck when it comes to missions." Jacky shrugged.

"Like?"

"Does getting attacked by an aerodactyl count?" Rufus offered.

"Fuck. That's so cool."

"No, you fuckwad. How is that cool?"

"You weren't even the one who got attacked." Amy pulled on Adam's ear before laughing it off when she turned to face the Kantonians. "Sorry about Adam. His language has always been a little colourful."

"**_Now_** I'm interested." Liam spoke as he leaned in closer. "An _aerodactyl_. Which one of you even got attacked by an aerodactyl?"

In unison, everyone on my squadron turned to face me.

"Sup." I said flatly.

"And Skye _caught _it." Amy began to say in her own dramatic fashion. "It was like _fwoosh!_ Then _woosh!_ And-"

"Weren't you with us on that damn ship? How'd you even see pipsqueak battle that fossil?"

"I was just repeating what I heard on the comms!"

"Wait, you _caught_ an aerodactyl?" The guy which I think Liam calls him as Oliver cut in excitedly. "It's a _wild _one?"

"It escaped from some secret facility and somehow ended up in the same mission area that we were in." I gave the official cover story that I could give to anyone outside of Black Squadron should they ask. "I was given custody over Aria after that."

"Can we see it?" Somebody else asked.

"Uh." I looked around us, spotting the 'No Pokemon Allowed' sign hanging just three meters away.

"I didn't see you letting out your aerodactyl during the rehearsal." Liam noted. "Should be hard to miss something like that."

"Boss said that he is still discussing with the higher ups that whether releasing an aerodactyl on a parade is a good idea." I explained. "I mean, it definitely will wow the crowd, but aerodactyls are widely known to be ferocious and they don't really have the best of reputations. Higher ups are worried it might suddenly go berserk."

"And they don't want that happening in the parade. Alright, I get it." Liam nodded his head in understanding. "Still think that they should at least try it out in the rehearsals, so that we can all see a living fossil in person."

"Why don't we just see it now?" Someone on Liam's team spoke up. "Like, go to a training field or something and then see it fly?"

"Or gobble us up."

"Aria's docile if you play nice." I defended Aria. "She saved my life before too."

"Oh yeah, that one time with the wild flying charmander." Adam snorted. "Fucking flying lizard don't want to see us go home."

"Is that another oh-shit mission?"

"Met a territorial charizard on a rescue mission." Rufus sighed. "It was not a fun day."

"We were like just trying to fly the fuck back home after finding the last guy." Adam rolled his eyes.

"Skye's pidgeot warned us and suddenly all our flying types just scattered." Jacky added.

"And then voom! A Flamethrower!" Amy exclaimed with dramatic hand gestures.

"And bam! A wild charizard appeared." I finished the story. "We managed to run from it. After it nearly killed me with a sneak attack, of course."

"You missed out on the dogfight you had with it in the air."

"Please, it wasn't even a fight. That charizard had nothing on me."

There was a brief silence from the Kanto group.

"Suddenly I'm fucking glad I'm not from Johto."

"You better motherfucking agree on it." Adam gritted out. "Fucking oh-shit missions happening to us all the damn time."

"Like stopping horny granbulls from destroying Olivine during their mating season." Rufus laughed. "Fun."

"Or the other time there was an abomasnow attack during our team outing to Cherrygrove. We weren't even supposed to be on fucking duty."

"Boss' face was priceless when he heard the evacuation order though. I even got a picture of it." Jacky said slyly.

"Wait, you did? Show us!" Amy cried out, arms waving as she tried to reach Jacky from where she was seated.

"And then I nearly got myself killed by a poacher who I found out much later to be a Rocket." I deadpanned. "Best team outing of my life."

"You know what? I'm starting to actually pity you Johtonians."

"No, it's just us. We are the oh-shit-squadron." Rufus covered his face with his hands. "Why is it always us?"

I rolled my eyes at Rufus' dramatic words before giving my answer.

"Cos we are the chosen ones. That's why."

* * *

"Reading?" Amy asked as she came out of the shower, trying to dry her hair with a towel.

"Yeah." I asked as I scrolled through my phone while lying on the bed lazily. Night has fallen and we are just lazing about until rehearsal starts again tomorrow. Amy and I are bunking together in a two-man bunk while our squadron is temporarily assigned to the Indigo Plateau Ranger Camp.

"Kanto ban?" Amy asked with a raised eyebrow when she saw what I was reading about.

"Might as well find out more about it so I know what not to say while we are here." I explained. "I haven't really been catching up with the news."

"Long story short, it's Kantonians accusing Johtonians of exploiting them ever since Indigo's founding." Amy said as she flopped herself down onto her own bed. "And then us Johtonians pulling stories of the past to show that Kantonians had a lot more benefits than them and that they shouldn't be complaining. And then it evolves to a competition to see who oppressed who more."

"Funny how the person who first started this debate is a Johtonian though." I mused. "You thought that the person who started this whole mess would be a Kantonian."

"Didn't Adam say that politicians just don't make any sense? For once, he's right."

"There's no such thing as coincidence, Amy." I said flatly. "There must be something in it for this Langley guy to want to start this whole shit in the first place. Why bring up a ban on imports and exports of rare stones and minerals that was put in place two decades ago? Why now?"

"Dunno. Maybe he had nothing to do? All these rich elites have no idea how we poor folks struggle to make ends meet anyway. Why else do you think almost every trainer tries to join the League forces the moment they finish their conference? The pay's good and there's constant demand for trainers. Just look at us Rangers. We always have Rangers dying left and right so there is always a constant demand for new trainers to fill up the slots."

"Still think that there is something fishy going on." I insist. "I don't know how to explain it, but it just feels like this Langley purposely brings up the topic of lifting the ban just to spark regional tensions. I mean, _come on_. Even if someone like me who barely knows how the economy works can see how bad of an idea it is to lift the ban, surely someone like him can? So why bring it up?"

"The economy you are referring to is _Indigo's _economy. Kanto economy will like, what did the news reports say? Triple? Triple their GDP or something? Because they have so many rare stones and minerals that the moment the Kanto ban is lifted their economy will just fly higher than what Ho-oh can?"

"And it also will hurt Johto's own by a lot due to how our economy as a whole is structured. But think about it, that's _cannibalism_. Indigo as a whole will still lose out on a lot the moment the ban is lifted."

"But Kantonians don't see it that way." Amy argued. "They think the ban is a form of oppression. Their economy had never really been doing well, just staying barely staying afloat. It's always us Johto providing them money and food from our own pockets to keep them alive. Kantonians want to see the oppressive ban gone so that their lives can be better. Johtonians just think that they are ingrates for not being thankful for all the help we provided them over the centuries."

"The whole thing is making my head spin." I groaned and closed my eyes as I dropped my head onto the pillow. "Why did I even bother? Why can't the Indigo Government like, I don't know? Maybe export Kanto's stones to like Hoenn or Sinnoh? It's so common sense."

I looked back at Amy when she didn't reply.

"Amy? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Skye? You're a _genius_. Why didn't Indigo just tell Kanto to export their stones to other regions?"

"You mean they didn't?"

"No. I'm sure of it. I read it all up."

"... Fucking corrupt politicians."

"Yeah, that must be it. Fucking corrupt politicians."

"... Hey, Skye?"

"Yeah?"

"Should we run for elections instead? I mean, I think we just solved what the politicians couldn't."

"Nah, fuck politics."

* * *

"Tailwind is a damn useful move if you know how to use it right." Liam said as his pidgeot gave a demonstration in the air. "You saw how fast my pidgeot can fly in a straight line, right? It was because of our experience in using Tailwind. Once you master it, you don't even need to use that move to help your fliers fly faster. Your pokemon will just instinctively find the best winds to push themselves without exerting any effort. Given enough practice, whatever experience they got from learning how to use Tailwind, they can apply it without even using that move, that's the best part."

Funny how not too long ago we are at each other's throats simply because we came from different regions and now, we are talking like we had known each other for ages. All because of our love and passion for flying type pokemon.

"Your pidgeot was more than just fast." I agreed as we both looked up at the skies watching our pokemon. Crown is trying to learn from Liam's pidgeot in the air. "I mean, you are a lot heavier than me with all those muscles, and you were initially two seconds or so behind me. Yet you nearly beat me in that race at the last stretch."

"I was two seconds behind because your pidgeot is obviously better at performing abrupt stops and turns in midair." Liam gestured to Crown with a jerk of his head. "Bet you had a lot of experience in flying in forests, I don't have that luxury in Kanto. The only real big forest to practice at is the one at Viridian. Mine is good at flying in a straight line, but not as good at avoiding obstacles. Was why we were there in the Forest AOC in the first place. We were trying to use the time we are here in Indigo Plateau to practice with the facilities here."

"I can give you some pointers on how to do what Crown can." I offered. "Since you so helpfully taught Crown how to use Tailwind in that manner."

"You should really come over to my regiment if you have the chance. We have totally different kinds of AOC from Johto's."

"Oh? Like?"

"Johto have so many fucking trees and forests that it isn't even funny." Liam grumbled. "Whenever I try flying here in Johto during my vacation days it still doesn't feel as good as soaring in Kanto's skies. Right there, all we have are mountains and flatlands. No obstacles, Skye. All we have are the skies and clouds. Just free flying. Imagine that."

"Must be nice." I said truthfully as I tried to think what it would feel like to fly in such a place.

"Damn right." Liam agreed. "That's why our AOC are more focused on training us in flying through mountainous areas and combating turbulence, because it is what we often find ourselves in. Winds are a lot stronger and harsher there, not like the gentle breeze here in Johto. Many times the winds are not in our favour and we have to create our own ones, which is why I trained my pidgeot to be able to use Tailwind like that. When the wind doesn't give us what we need, we create our own."

"You know what? Maybe the Ranger force should have an exchange program or something. Try out what it feels like to be a Ranger on the other side. Flying the skies of the highlands sounds _fun_."

"Try Pewter, near Mt Moon. Or Cerulean works too. If not, Lavender is also not half bad. These are some of the highest areas you can find in Kanto. Anything southwards is more flatlands than mountains."

"You mapped out all the best flying spots in Kanto?"

"Of course." Liam snorted, as if he is offended that he is incapable of doing at least that. "I fly with my team whenever we have the time. My dream is to be the best flier. But first, I'm winning our race the next time we meet."

"You are on." I accepted the challenge, feeling all fired up for once. "But if you want to be the best flier, then get in line. My brother's way better than me."

"You're already damn good yourself. Who is your brother?"

"He's the Violet City's Gym Leader. You know, the one who likes to wear his police uniform during gym battles just to show how many shiny awards he can pin on his uniform? Showoff."

"No wonder your last name sounded so familiar. You're Falkner's little sister." Liam said in realisation. "_He_ taught you? In that case, he's good."

"He is. Said he learnt everything from my shitty Dad before he did a David Copperfield on us."

"David Copperfield? Who's that?"

"Magician. Master of the Mystic Arts. Does all the twirly whirly hand signs orange circle thingy. Wears the Eye of Agamotto and use it to recycle apples infinitely. Likes to bargain with others and annoy them with his bargains until they leave because he can do a time loop better than a Celebi. Don't look at me like that. It's _strange_, I know."

"... Now you are just screwing with me, aren't you?"

"I'm actually letting you in on a big secret. Please don't tell anybody else."

"You are just screwing with me. I knew it."

"Do you want to know a secret?"

"Fuck off, or I'll Whirlwind you."

"C'mere, I'll tell you my secret."

"I said fu- ah fine. What is it?"

"Come closer."

.

.

.

"... I'm actually a wizard."

"You mean witch. Wizard are for guys."

"Fine, _witch_."

* * *

**Name: Skye Bale, 16, Female**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 9****th**** Ranger Regiment, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Staff Sergeant**

**Code Name: Zephyr**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Pidgeot (Crown), male**

**2\. ****Gliscor (Glide), male**

**3\. ****Skarmory (Dia), female**

**4\. ****Crobat (Beats), male**

**5\. ****Jumpluff (Cotton), female**

**6\. ****Dragonite (Tino), female**

**7\. ****Noivern (Echo), male**

**8\. ****Emolga, (Emi), female **

**9\. ****Hawlucha (Hawk), male**

**10\. ****Sigilyph (Cosmo), female**

**11\. ****Aerodactyl (Aria), female**

**12\. ****Masquerain (Heli), male**

**Name: Falkner Bale, 25, Male**

**Known affiliation: Johto Police Force, Johto Thirteen Pillars, Violet City Gym Leader**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Pidgeot (Majel), male**

**2\. ****Noctowl**

**3\. ****Fearow**

**4\. ****Dodrio**

**5\. ****Honchkrow**

**6\. ****Xatu**

**7\. ****Crobat**

**8\. ****Skarmory**

**9\. ****Delibird**

**10\. ****Togekiss **

**11\. ****Swellow**

**12\. ****Staraptor**

**13\. ****Pelipper**

**Name: Ciel Bale, 13, Male**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Pidgeotto (Queenie), female**

**2\. ****Wimpod, male**

**Name: Walker Bale, 55, Male**

**Known affiliation: Ex Violet City Gym Leader, Ex member of Johto Thirteen Pillars**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Pidgeot**

**2\. ****Skarmory**

**Name: Jacky Marsh, 19, Male**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: First Lieutenant**

**Code Name: Venom**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Scolipede**

**2\. ****Crobat**

**3\. ****Tentacruel**

**4\. ****Nidoking**

**5\. ****Skuntank**

**6\. ****Venasaur**

**7\. ****Toxicroak**

**8\. ****Weezing**

**9\. ****Dragalge**

**10\. ****Beedrill**

**Name: Amy Rose, 17, Female**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Sergeant First Class**

**Code Name: Powergirl**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Furret**

**2\. ****Pidgeot**

**3\. ****Lopunny**

**4\. ****Ursaring**

**5\. ****Wigglytuff**

**6\. ****Exploud**

**7\. ****Blissey**

**8\. ****Tauros**

**9\. ****Miltank**

**10\. ****Cinccino **

**Name: Adam Clive, 20, Male**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Sergeant First Class**

**Code Name: Nightmare**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Houndoom**

**2\. ****Honchkrow**

**3\. ****Umbreon**

**4\. ****Weavile**

**5\. ****Shiftry**

**6\. ****Sableye**

**7\. ****Greninja**

**8\. ****Hydreigon**

**9\. ****Pangoro**

**10\. ****Krookodile**

**Name: Rufus Grandell, 21, Male**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Master Sergeant**

**Code Name: Torrent**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Poliwrath**

**2\. ****Kingdra**

**3\. ****Dewgong**

**4\. ****Gyarados **

**5\. ****Feraligatr**

**6\. ****Slowking **

**7\. ****Crawdaunt**

**8\. ****Floatzel**

**9\. ****Jellicent**

**10\. ****Golisopod**

**Name: Pyral Furnes, 38, Male**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Lieutenant Colonel**

**Code Name: Cremator **

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. ****Typhlosion**

**2\. ****Arcanine**

**3\. ****Charizard**

**4\. ****Magmortar**

**5\. ****Magcargo **

**6\. ****Alolan Marowak **

**7\. ****Torkoal**

**8\. ****Infernape**

**9\. ****Emboar**

**10\. ****Pyroar**

**11\. ****Chandelure **


	12. Chapter 12- Daddy's Little Girl

_"F-Fly?"_

_"There's no need to be scared, Skye. Flying is fun! See how Falkner is enjoying himself?"_

_"But what if I fall and-"_

_"Daddy will be there with you on pidgeot's back! Don't worry, you won't fall! Not with Daddy around!"_

I still remember it, my fear of heights. It felt like a sick joke at first, that I was reincarnated into a family who loves flying types with a burning passion and **_nobody_**, including Falkner and Mum, could ever get me on the back of a flying type pokemon.

It was Dad who helped me overcome that fear and got me to share that same passion for flying.

_"Alright, see how I place my hands and feet to hold onto pidgeot? Just follow my- right! That's it! Clever girl! Now stick your body close to pidgeot's back like this… Got it in one try! That's my girl!"_

I could still remember my very first experience with flying. It was with Dad as we rode on the back of his pidgeot. I was so scared that I kept my eyes firmly shut throughout most of the flight. I held onto pidgeot's feathers so tightly that I was surprised that it wasn't angry at me for grabbing and pulling at its feathers in such a painful manner.

_"Come on, Skye. Open your eyes! Look at the skies in front of us! Look at the clouds! Look at what we can see from here! Isn't it amazing?!"_

_"I-I-I'm **scared!**"_

Yes, I might have memories of another life in this small little body but I was afraid of heights. Some things just simply don't go away even if you had another chance at life.

_"Relax, Skye. Daddy's with you. Open your eyes. Look at what we can see from high above. Isn't this simply beautiful?"_

It was then that I slowly opened my eyes a little to take a peek. I saw it. I saw how beautiful Violet City is from above. I saw how the clouds reflected the sun rays and how blue and limitless the sky seemed to be. I never felt so free, so liberated.

It was then I fell in love with flying through the skies.

_"So how was it, your first flight? Did you enjoy it?"_

_"Y-Yeah! I want to go flying again, Dad!"_

_"Atta girl! You overcome your fear of heights in just one day! That's my courageous little girl!"_

It was awkward trying to act like the little girl that I'm supposed to be but I've long since decided to put my past behind. I truly love my family and I really respected Dad. He's a Gym Leader, one of the strongest trainers Johto has to offer. He's good at flying and seeing him and his flying types soaring through the skies is such a mesmerising sight.

I had really respected and loved him.

_"Hey, Dad. Can we go flying again today?"_

_"Skye? Sorry, but-"_

_"You are going to be busy at the gym again, aren't you?"_

It's always like this. He would spend a day or two at home and then be missing for weeks or even months on end. I know that he is a Gym Leader and that means that he is a very busy person, but he rarely spends any time at home at all. Well, I'm an adult, at least mentally. I can take it. But what about Falkner? Ciel? Mum?

To my Dad, is work really that important? Is it more important than family?

Over the years, that's the one thing that I can never understand. It's why we started to drift apart.

_"Well, Daddy's a Gym Leader! I have an entire city to protect! Sorry, Skye, but I promise I'll be back earlier tomorrow."_

It's annoying to keep hearing that same excuse after a while. It's always because _Daddy's a Gym Leader. _If being a Gym Leader means only spending a few days every few months with your family then I would rather not have a Gym Leader for a Dad.

I know this is childish because I'm supposed to be an adult despite having the physical age of a child, but I just want a Dad. A Dad that can spend more time with me and the family so that this family would feel more like a true family.

I don't need a Gym Leader. I need a Dad.

_"You always say that. Don't make promises you cannot keep."_

I have always been blunt with my opinions when it comes to Dad. He knows I'm not happy with how little time he spent with us but I always tried to do the mature thing and understand where he is coming from.

That doesn't mean I like it.

_"E-Eh? You don't have to call me out like that!"_

_"I'm fine on my own, but Mum and Falkner miss you a lot. So try to come back earlier for their sake, okay?"_

I'm supposed to be the adult here. I will be fine. But what about Ciel? He's still so young. He needs a Dad more than I do. Same goes for Falkner even if he is physically nine years older than me.

_"Alright! Daddy promises you that!"_

I know it will end up being a promise that he cannot keep, just like always, but I didn't call him out for it. I never did.

_"That's it, Skye! Now get pidgeot to dive down- that's it! Atta girl!"_

_"Flying's pretty cool, Dad!"_

_"I know, right?!"_

I realised that if Dad has barely any time to come home to spend time with us then I might as well find him in his gym. I would often practice how to fly on a pokemon's back with his pidgeot at the empty clearing behind his gym. If he has time he would pop by and check on me. I still don't get to see him much, but with this arrangement at least I get to see him a few times everyday and I get to fly.

At the very least, I get to spend time with my Dad.

_"Hey Dad, do you think I can get a pokemon of my own?"_

Flying with Dad's pidgeot makes me really want to have a flying type of my own. Since my father is the expert on flying types, I figured I might as well ask him if he thinks I am ready to take care of a pokemon by myself.

_"Oh, if you promise to take good care of them Daddy does have a number of flying types I can possibly give out. Which one do you want?"_

_"A pidgey! Just like you and Falkner!"_

There were many choices available back then but to me, my starter definitely has to be a pidgey, because my father and older brother's starters were pidgeys too. It's a family thing.

_"Look Dad, look Dad! I just managed to get Crown to do a steep turn! Falkner helped!"_

_"Atta girl! At this rate you two are going you might very well surpass your old man someday! Haha!"_

I never thought that far. I never wanted to be the best at flying, I just wanted to fly.

I just wanted to fly alongside my father and my brother. That was all I ever wanted.

_"But you are a Gym Leader…"_

_"But you are my little girl! Do you know why your mother and I named you Skye?"_

_"Because you two are too lazy to think of a better name?" _

I remembered rolling my eyes as I said that. Mum said that Dad was the one who named me. No matter how I thought about it he must have been too lazy to think of a better name and knowing about his obsession for flying, he simply settled for the name Skye. Just add the E behind the Sky and you get Skye. That's definitely something Dad would do.

_"What? No! Of course not! It's because we want our little girl to reach further than the skies!"_

_"Dad. Just be honest. Did you seriously just think of how to name me on the spot the moment I was born?"_

_"Of course not!"_

This arrangement of me visiting Dad at his gym continued. Falkner is often not at home because he is a trainer on his journey. Ciel was still too young to be outside of the house and Mum was taking care of him at home. If I had nothing to do at home I would go and visit the gym in hopes of being able to catch a glimpse of Dad. It's been harder and harder trying to even spot him because of how busy he is.

I haven't seen him in months.

_"Daddy's home!"_

_"It's been five months, Dad. **Five **months."_

_"Ehehehe… Daddy's sorry, Skye. Where are your siblings?"_

Mum had never been very healthy. She had passed away not long ago when Dad was away somewhere out of Violet City doing who knows what for the League. It was just Falkner, Ciel, and I who were there during her last moments. Dad wasn't even there by her deathbed and I was very, _very _unhappy about that. He knows my feelings on this matter.

Still, I tried to do the mature thing and not blame him for it, because he was out there doing some super secret work that the League tasked him to do and everything was just bad timing.

It still doesn't stop that ugly feeling from growing deep within my heart, the ugly side of me which wanted to blame him for not being by his wife's side during her last moments. Mum is _his wife_.

_"Falkner went out to train, Ciel is still in childcare. How long are you going to stay this time?"_

After Mum died it was up to Falkner to hold this family together. He took on the role of father, mother, and older brother all in one at the age of fifteen and I really respect and love him for it. I tried to help him whenever and wherever I could but I was only six. There's a limit to how much help I can give him at this age.

_"Uh… about that…"_

From Dad's response, probably just a day or two.

He could easily tell that I was not happy about his answer. Since it was only the two of us at home, he brought me out to stroll along Violet City while we walked to the childcare to fetch Ciel home. We were doing some window shopping along the way when a cool looking cap caught my eye. I have always loved to wear caps because it keeps my hair in place when I'm flying. Even if I'm not flying I would often wear one because I like how it looks on me. I had never been very ladylike anyway. I always dress myself up in a rather tomboyish look. I always have more jeans and shorts than skirts and dresses in my cabinet.

_"You like that cap?"_

I must have been staring at the cap for a little too long if Dad actually noticed.

_"It looks nice, but I like that other design better. Too bad it is out of stock."_ I shrugged when I pointed to the other cooler design I saw on the poster pasted on the wall behind the shelf and sadly, an OUT OF STOCK sticker was pasted over it as well. I still ended up picking the cap that originally caught my eye and wore it on my head, putting my ponytail through the hole at the back of the cap before looking back to face Dad.

_"How do I look?"_

_"Perfect! But if you like the other design so much why not Daddy buy it for you when he finds it?"_

I gave my Dad a dubious look. He's busy enough as it is. Will he even have time to search for a particular cap design for his clingy daughter?

_"Are you sure that you can even find them?"_

_"Well, Daddy will soon be sent on a job that only I can do and it will take me to places far, far away that will probably have many cool things! And your Daddy has really sharp eyes! Maybe I can really find the cap you like so much!"_

For some reason, those words filled me with warmth that I never thought I would feel. I cannot help but smile.

_"Hey Dad."_

_"Yes?"_

_"Can I have this cap until you find the one with the better design?"_

_"Of course!"_

He bought me the scarlet red cap that day, the cap that I still wore to this day. I took very good care of it because it was his present to me. Because my head had eventually outgrown the size of the cap over the years I had to get tailors to alter the size of the cap for me so that I can still wear it.

Dad stayed at home for three days this time before he had to go again to do whatever things he had to do as Violet City's Gym Leader. We sent him off, wishing him a safe journey. I could still remember Dad's last words to me.

_"Daddy will be back as soon as he can! I will make sure to find the cap you want, Skye!"_

_"Okay!"_

Weeks turned into months. That's fine. I've long since grown used to waiting for him for months on end. Then months turned into a year, and a year turned into years. Years turned into a decade.

He never came back.

Naturally, we were worried. The League never told us what happened to him or what they had sent him to do no matter how we asked. All they said was that he was on a mission that only he can do and that he is currently MIA.

_MIA_, not KIA. It should give us a sense of relief that he is not officially declared dead but that still did not fill the gaping hole in my heart, the hole that was left when the man that I had come to truly love and respected as my father had left that fateful day.

And then, I started to resent him.

It's childish, I know. It's unreasonable, I know. But I just cannot help but feel this way. He went back on his promise, _again_. He never came back to us, his three children who kept waiting for him at home like fools. I know that something must have happened to him and that it is very likely that he will never come back.

He's dead. That has to be the only explanation.

But I don't want to accept it. I kept running away from this fact. To me, the fact that he promised me that he will be back but ended up breaking this promise _again _had hurt me. He _always _goes back on his promise and I hate that part of him. The only consistent thing that I know about him ever since I was a child is that he _always _breaks his promises. It's _always _like this.

Why keep a promise that you cannot keep? You might as well not make that promise at all.

Unlike me, Falkner still has high hopes that Dad would return. I cannot help but call him out on his foolishness because Dad has to be dead, even if I never admitted that fact out loud. Why else is he not back?

That was when my relationship with my big brother started to strain. I would yell at him, telling him that Dad has to be gallivanting somewhere out there in this world and forgot that he actually has three children waiting for him back home. He would tell me that Dad is **_not _**that type of person and he will be back one day.

Deep down, I know that Falkner is right. Dad will never leave us like that despite how little we saw him when we were children. I just didn't want to admit it because if I do, that means that he is _dead_. I'd rather believe in my own lie that he is out there having fun somewhere at some unseen corner of the world than to believe that he actually wanted to come back to us but _couldn't_, because the very thought of it, that if what I speculated is _true_, **_hurts_**.

It really _hurts _a lot just by thinking about that possibility.

I'd rather curse and scream at him for abandoning us than to think about the possibility that he is dead. I _refuse _to admit that he is _dead_. I'd rather fool myself that he had abandoned us than to admit that he's _dead_.

Childish, I know. Unreasonable, I know. But I just cannot help but feel and lash out in this manner. Who said that maturity comes with age? It definitely doesn't apply to me. Sometimes I really wish I do not have the burden of the memories of my past life because it is often more of a burden than a gift.

I don't want to be a mature adult. I just want to be the little girl that I am.

The only thing I had left to remind me of Dad is the red cap he bought for me before he left us, and Crown, who he gave to me as my starter. They were what accompanied me these ten years after he left us. When I first received a pokedex and became a trainer. When I first started out on my journey. When I participated in my very first conference. When I first became a Ranger and ended up in the First Ranger Regiment. They had been with me the entire time.

It still hurts to think about Dad sometimes, how he made a promise only to not keep it _again_. This time, for good. I want to hate him, but I can't, because _he's my Dad_.

It sucks. Sometimes I wish I was like Ciel, who was too young to actually remember how Dad and Mum were like. Sometimes I wish I was like Falkner, who is nine years older than me and had spent a lot more time with Dad and Mum and had made many happy memories with them before they left us forever.

It sucks to be the middle child. Life just sucks sometimes.

Even if I grew to resent Dad, I am still his daughter, his little girl. I am Skye Bale. He told me that he and Mum wanted their little girl to be able to reach further than the skies and that was why they named me Skye. Even when I resented Dad for not keeping his promise I didn't want to disappoint him or Mum, so I aspired to join STAR, where only the best of the best were accepted. I didn't foresee Falkner to be so adamantly against it due to the dangerous nature of the job. Guess Dad's disappearance had hit him hard too. He just didn't show it as outwardly as I did.

But I had always been a bit of a rebel. If I cannot join STAR, then I will join the next best thing.

I will become a Ranger. Not only that, I will become the _best _Ranger Indigo would ever see.

Thinking back, I should be ashamed of myself. Initially, me becoming a Ranger was not out of any noble sense of purpose. It's entirely personal. It's partly to prove myself, partly to spite Falkner for getting in my way to join STAR, partly because I love the thrill and adrenaline I know that the missions STAR and Rangers will provide to me. It's only very much later that I really grew to love my job with a burning passion.

There's a weird tradition among the Indigo Rangers. When you officially become a full-fledged Ranger you have to think of a phrase that best describes you when you introduce yourself to others and the phrase must start with the word 'Ready'. Boring people like Commander Pyral would put something like 'Ready for deployment'. Slightly fancier ones like Rufus would put something like 'Ready to go with the flow.'

Without thinking, I put in 'Ready to reach for the skies', because that was my parents's hopes and aspirations for me when they had me. I remembered wondering to myself what Dad would say if he knew about it.

Too bad he would never know. He's dead, even if we all never wanted to admit it out loud.

I have regrets. I have too many of those. I regretted acting too mature and not just throwing a childish tantrum to get him to stay. I regretted not having more time to spend with Mum, who passed away shortly after Ciel was born. I regretted not trying enough to spend more time with Dad.

I regretted not saying to him that I loved him and that I am proud to be his daughter, Skye Bale, and that I really loved the name he gave me. I regret the fact that he would never see how good a Ranger his daughter had become. I regret not being able to tell him that I am now a Ranger of the 1st Ranger Regiment, and that I am among the best of the best.

People always say that speed is in my blood but I am always a step too slow. I always have so many things to say, but never enough time to do so. I never had the courage to say what is truly on my mind.

People always say life goes on. It's really harder than it seems. People always say when life gives you lemons you make lemonade out of it but just how many have the mental strength to do that over and over again? How many times will life beat you down into the ground before you are unable to stand any longer? What is your limit before you really break? If you haven't found it yet it means that life hasn't been cruel enough to you. Be thankful for that.

I don't want to continue waiting for my father to come back and stare at the front door day after day, waiting for a hopeless miracle to happen and that he would once again walk through that very same door just like how he did a decade ago. Like a coward, I began to run away from reality. I numbed myself with work ever since I joined the Rangers so that I do not need to be home that often and have the sight of the door reminding me of my worst memories, waiting for Dad to come home.

To add on, Falkner and I just could not get along ever since I told him I wanted to join STAR. It got worse when he couldn't stop me from joining the Rangers. Hence, it's best if we don't see each other that often. The lesser we meet, the lesser we would argue with each other. I know he is afraid of losing me as well but I hate it when people try to tell me what to do because they have _my best interests at heart_. To me, that simply sounded like an excuse to control every single aspect of my life even if deep down I know my older brother has nothing but love for me.

I know that I should reconcile with Falkner before something else took him away from me. He had followed in Dad's footsteps and became Violet City's Gym Leader as well. The paths they took are so similar that I am so afraid that one day, Falkner will be called by the League to do something for them just like how it happened to Dad and I would never see him again.

I just never had the courage to take the first step. It's always like this and I hate myself for it.

I don't need my father and older brother to be Gym Leaders. I just wanted them to be around. I never asked for my family to be special. All I wanted was a family. A normal one where we can all be happy and be with each other.

That's it, really. If that can happen I will gladly give everything that I had built up in my career as a Ranger. In front of others I always acted like I'm the biggest and baddest thing around but in truth I'm just a childish and unreasonable little girl who wants her Daddy and her family.

Skye Bale never said that she was courageous. All Skye Bale wanted was to fly alongside her family. Skye Bale is still that same six year old little girl, still waiting for her Daddy to come home as she waited for him day after day in the living room and staring at the door, hoping that he will walk through it again someday. Skye Bale is still that same little girl who wants to learn from her Daddy how to fly, still that same little girl who will scold her Daddy for always breaking his promises but also happy that he managed to come back home all the same, still the same little girl who is waiting for him to come back home with that cool cap that he promised that he would find and buy for her when she was six.

Despite holding onto a secret that she can never tell anyone else, that she has the mind of an adult at the moment of her birth, Skye Bale still wants to be Daddy's little girl and is still futilely wishing for her Daddy to come home and walk through the front door again. Without him around, she's still scared, like how she was before he took her flying for the very first time.

It sucks, to have the burden of extra memories that you sometimes question if it truly belongs to you. It felt like a baggage that you can never be rid of but forced to live with for the rest of your life.

I just want to be Skye Bale, to act like the sixteen year old that I am and not the adult that I know that I am. I want to be unreasonable and childish like how all teenagers my age are entitled to be, but can never be due to the extra baggage I carry.

I miss them too, my parents. My kind Mum, and my Dad. Why do the heavens have to take away the two people who I had grown to love as my own family after I tried so hard to accept them as my new parents?

It sucks.

But I am Skye Bale, the flier who will reach further than the skies. I'm far from being the most courageous person on earth but for my family, I want to at least try.

I want to have the courage to keep moving forward no matter what. I am trying, but trying can be hard sometimes. Fear is always there to greet you around every corner you turn but I guess the only thing that you can really do is to simply try and continue walking. It does not need to be a full sprint. Even one tiny step at a time will do. Progress is progress.

I still miss them, my parents. Especially Dad. I want to continue to be his childish and unreasonable little girl and tell him off for always coming back home so late. I want to continue to fly with him across the skies. I want him to see just how much I had achieved at the age of sixteen and I want to hear him tell me that he is proud of me.

In the end, all Skye Bale wanted was to show her parents that she can really reach for the skies, just like how they wished she could do when they named her. But that will forever remain as a dream because they are no longer here.

It's time she faced reality. It's time she admits it, that she will never have a chance to be Daddy's little girl again.

* * *

**Name: Skye Bale, 16, Female**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 9****th**** Ranger Regiment, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Staff Sergeant**

**Code Name: Zephyr**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. Pidgeot (Crown), male**

**2\. Gliscor (Glide), male **

**3\. Skarmory (Dia), female **

**4\. Crobat (Beats), male **

**5\. Jumpluff (Cotton), female **

**6\. Dragonite (Tino), female **

**7\. Noivern (Echo), male **

**8\. Emolga, (Emi), female **

**9\. Hawlucha (Hawk), male **

**1****0\. Sigilyph (Cosmo), female **

**11\. Aerodactyl (Aria), female **

**12\. Masquerain (Heli), male**

**Name: Walker Bale, 55, Male**

**Known affiliation: Ex Violet City Gym Leader, Ex member of Johto Thirteen Pillars**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. Pidgeot **

**2\. Skarmory**


	13. Chapter 13- Fragility of Peace

This is most troubling.

It had been a week since he had received anonymous tip offs about Team Rocket. He had brushed it aside at first because what the given information stated sounded absolutely ludicrous_. **Giovanni** as the true leader of **Team Rocket**?_ He is one of the best role models in Indigo on what a Gym Leader should be. Whoever is telling him this should make a better effort in crafting their lies.

The fact that there is a little note at the end of the note telling him not to inform the Indigo President about this doesn't sit right with him too, even if he himself never liked the egoistic man that kept thinking that only he is able to make the right decisions in running Indigo, going so far as to constantly meddle with things pokemon related even if his expertise is not in pokemon related affairs. Kain was not even given that power in the first place, just that he had been in his seat for such a long period of time that his power and influence is not something that can be easily ignored. It was what allowed him to constantly meddle in affairs in both the League and the Government.

Despite not believing in the given information initially, Lance decided to keep this bit of information to himself, not informing Kain about this like what the informant had pleaded in the note. Lance doesn't have a favourable impression of the meddlesome President in the first place anyway.

He had initially wanted to just bury the note somewhere under the big pile of paperwork he had not yet completed, but something, a sixth sense maybe, keeps urging him that there may be some truth to this.

So, he decided to do some digging, if only to soothe his own mind.

Using his authority as the Indigo Champion, Lance secretly accessed the classified files on personal information on Viridian's Gym Leader. Giovanni came out clean as far as he can tell, but that was until Lance decided to check his financial statements that are hidden away from the public eye as all high-ranking members of the Indigo League are entitled to.

And there are really some really dubious transactions going on in there. He doesn't need to be an accountant to know that something fishy is going on. Lance even compared Giovanni's financials to the other Gym Leaders and Elite Four members of the Indigo League, and none of them had transactions as dubious as Giovanni's, meaning that what Giovanni is doing with his money is definitely something fishy even for a Gym Leader.

If Giovanni really is the true leader of Team Rocket, then he might have been a little careless in covering his tracks. Then again, no one is supposed to read through such classified information about Indigo's Gym Leaders and the only person who is allowed to do so is the Indigo Champion, namely Lance himself, and why will Lance do so? He barely had enough time to complete his paperwork and duties as their Champion. Why will he snoop through his Gym Leaders' financial statements when he had better things to do?

When he thinks about it from this perspective, Lance can understand why Giovanni had made such a mistake if the Ground Specialist really is the leader of Team Rocket. He is starting to wish that he never received that tipoff. The headache he is experiencing is not worth the trouble.

He then started to receive anonymous tip offs one after the other for consecutive days ever since he received the first tip off. He has no idea how the innocuous slips of paper and hard drives found his way into his office table undetected when his office is constantly guarded with the highest level of security available. No matter what he did, Lance is just unable to catch this mysterious informant. He even left a note behind for the informant to request a face-to-face meeting with him or her, hoping that he will read it if he ever came back for a visit. He knows for certain that the informant had read the note he left behind because the note could not be found when a new hard drive and note appeared on his table the moment he left his office for a quick toilet break, which confused him to no end because _how on earth_ did his mysterious informant did what he or she did in that short amount of time?

The only thing that gave him a little peace of mind was that this informant seems to be working for the League's cause, so he left the breach in security as it is and didn't tell a single soul about it.

The information he received also worries him. If the information provided is accurate, then Team Rocket will be launching the biggest attack in the nation's history on their national day. Indigo Plateau itself will be attacked and there's no way to cancel the event because it is a nationwide event. It cannot be simply cancelled without a very good reason. If they do somehow cancel it, then it will definitely raise suspicions on Team Rocket's end, which will jeopardise the safety of his mysterious informant, which subsequently meant that ending Team Rocket once and for all will definitely be a lot harder in the future.

According to the mysterious informant, Team Rocket has too many bases littered across Indigo and the supposed true goals of Team Rocket is a legitimate cause for concern. If Team Rocket are to suddenly start an uprising, there will be utter chaos and countless casualties. No matter how he thought about it, Lance felt that to uproot Team Rocket in one decisive blow the attack on their bases must be swift and decisive. Team Rocket must not be allowed the chance to stage a counterattack or to bunker down, hide, and wait for a chance to regrow anew. The extermination must be as thorough as possible and must be completed in one go. That also means that the Indigo forces under his command will definitely be stretched very thin to cover every single identified base of Team Rocket.

That's not even talking about how Team Rocket managed to create a pokemon said to be on the level of a _Legendary Pokemon _and actually have the means to restrain and _control _it. The M2 Bind that allows Team Rocket to control this pokemon known as Mewtwo is definitely going to be a huge problem. The M2 Bind must be destroyed at all costs.

And then comes the problem of dealing with Giovanni and how to keep him out of the loop.

Lance groaned and covered his face with his palm. It is 4:16 am in the morning and he had not slept a wink. He is not paid enough to deal with this shit. What possessed him to be Indigo's Champion again?

He drank the fourth cup of coffee to keep himself awake and put down his mug at the corner of his office desk. There's no way he can do this alone. The information provided seems to be accurate so far, he himself had personally gone to confirm some of these facts in secret, conducting random spot checks in places the mysterious informant had stated where Team Rocket's secret bases are. He is not sure if he should be elated or worried that the information provided is accurate as far as he can verify.

On one hand, this is a chance to end Team Rocket for good. On the other hand, this is a huge scandal for Indigo. A renowned Gym Leader of theirs is the leader of the strongest terrorist organisation in the world. The media will have a field day with this. Shame will befall on him and Indigo but this isn't the crux of the problem. He can handle a little shame. The real problem is how deep the corruption within Indigo had really penetrated without anyone, him included, realising.

The corruption, the dirty dealings, everything has to go for something like this to never appear again. He needs to find people that he knows he can trust to help him. Thankfully, he has a handful of such people by his side.

Hopefully, his mysterious informant is right.

* * *

The silence that followed was uncomfortable.

It wasn't easy to do things in such a secretive manner but that was why Lance enlisted Koga's help, who is someone Lance knew he can trust without question. The Elite Four member that hailed from an ancient clan of ninjas was instrumental in helping him pass the secret message along to call for a secret gathering of Indigo's elites and to meet in Blackthorn, his hometown, without alerting anyone else that Lance doesn't want to alert, especially Giovanni. There is no other place that Lance knew of that can guarantee the secrecy needed for such a meeting other than the Dragon's Den, an area under his clan's jurisdiction.

In front of him are the nineteen people that made up the Gym Leaders and Elite Four members of the Indigo, excluding Giovanni. Before this, he had taken some time to run a detailed check on all of them, to make absolutely sure that none of them were Giovanni's allies. Thankfully, they seemed to be clean.

None of them spoke a word, not after what Lance revealed to them.

"Are you _sure _about this?"

The first to break the silence was Falkner.

"I wouldn't call for such a meeting otherwise, Falkner. This is a huge accusation to make. I wouldn't do so if I don't have good reasons to believe in what I am saying." Lance sighed.

"I know this sounds a little ridiculous, but could this be related to the prophecy?" Erika asked softly in her usual polite self.

"There is a chance that Giovanni may be a key player in that particular prophecy." Sabrina admitted. "But I never received such a vision telling me so. Then again, it's not like I can see everything even as a psychic. No psychic can claim to do that."

The prophecy that foretold the end of the world. A prophecy that scares the leaders of every region so much that they all hid the prophecy from the public, only whispering about it behind closed doors. The Gym Leaders and the Elite Four were only let in on it recently after a solution was proposed. Everyone was frantically searching for a way to help dispel the prophecy foresaw by a group of highly trained psychic pokemon that had a 100% accuracy in their track record thus far in foretelling prophecies. It was only recently that the Pokemon World League, or PWL in short, in which the Indigo League is a part of, decided to set up a task force known as the International Police to try their hand in preventing the prophecy from happening.

"At least we are all around to do something about this." Surge grunted. "Never liked Giovanni anyway. I told you that he's suspicious as heck but none of you believed me. It isn't paranoia when it is true."

"Giovanni has _armies_ in places of interest. The ports at Olivine and Vermillion, the heart of our regions in Saffron and Goldenrod, and that is not counting the remaining bases that Team Rocket had set up in both regions. This is going to be tough."

"No shit Bugsy."

"Will it kill you to show some manners?" Misty chided Surge, an annoyed expression on her face.

The holographic projector Lance had brought in is currently showing everyone the huge list of information that Kain has on Team Rocket, but yet chose not to tell anyone else about it. Naturally, nobody is happy about the fact that they, the Pillars of their respective regions, are being kept in the dark about things that hindered their work.

Then there is also the fact that the information Lance came across showed indisputable proof that the poverty problem that had been consistently plaguing the Kanto region since it was founded was the main reason Team Rocket could thrive. It is a problem that they, as members of Indigo's Pillars, have no jurisdiction over and left it to the Government under the leadership of Kain to solve. However, it is obvious that whatever Kain is doing, it is either not enough, or only exacerbated the problem in the long run.

"The fact that the President knew so much about Team Rocket when we didn't, and yet chose not to inform us about it is worrying too. Why would he withhold so much critical information from us? A problem of this nature is something the _League_ should handle, **_not the Government!_** He is meddling in things he shouldn't be involved in!" Janine seethed with an ugly scowl on her face. Things might not have escalated to this degree if the Indigo President had been forthcoming with his findings.

"The result we have today is because of my failure. If only I recognised the problems our citizens faced sooner…" Lance muttered as he clenched his fists. Yes, economic and social policies that had nothing to do with pokemon are out of his jurisdiction as the Indigo Champion, but if he had been more proactive in getting the Indigo President to do _something _about the economic inequality sooner, maybe things may not have progressed to this state.

"You couldn't have known. You tried your best." Clair said encouragingly. Lance can only offer a weak smile in return.

"How long has it been since you know about this, Lance?" Brock asked. "About both Kain and Team Rocket."

"It's been about a week now." Lance replied. "I wanted to inform you guys sooner but I also wanted to verify the information myself before calling for this meeting. I wanted to be absolutely sure that this was a grave cause for concern and that I am not slandering Giovanni or Kain. The dirt we now have on Kain aside, these information we have here about Team Rocket, they are extremely detailed information. It's the kind of information that one would need to be a core member of the criminal organisation to get your hands on, that has to be the only explanation. I didn't put much thought into it at first until I went to verify some of the facts myself. It was then I started to take this matter very seriously because everything that this informant had passed to me so far is all true."

"Informant?"

"Don't ask. I don't even know who this informant is either. Things just appeared on my office table and no matter what I did I just never caught this mysterious informant."

When Lance first started receiving all this information it baffled him too. He is Lance, the _Champion _of Indigo. He knows the current efforts being put to stop Team Rocket on his end and none of it could possibly bore such results. The information just found its way to him somehow day after day. No matter what he did, he could not trace it back to his mysterious informant. No matter how much he tried, he could never understand how the various hard disks and thumbdrives that contained those vital information found their way to his office desk without anyone realising. He is the Champion. The security of his office located in the Indigo League HQ is of the highest quality and his mysterious informant somehow bypassed _all _of it with ease.

Still, it warms his heart that somewhere out there, there is somebody working hard to bring Team Rocket down like what he is doing. If only he could know who that person is. That person is a hero in his eyes. The only request from his mysterious informant is that he or she pleaded with him to not let Kain know about this.

It made sense when he received so much damning evidence about Kain from his mysterious informant, detailing many of his dirty deeds that made him seethe. It was enough to convince Lance that Kain will definitely botch this up than to be of help. Still, there is nothing Lance can do at this moment. Indigo National Day is coming up within the month and it will not reflect well on them if such a scandal was to be revealed to the public so close to their nation's founding. Especially so when this year, Indigo actually has foreign guests spectating the proceedings, something that hasn't been done until now. He will have to wait until National Day is over before he secretly brings Kain to justice and interrogates him just _what _the hell he had been doing behind everybody's backs.

Then just two days before, he received urgent and crucial information from his mysterious informant yet again. This time, it is an extremely detailed plan about the taking over of the Indigo, starting from an all-out attack on the Indigo Plateau that will immediately spread to the Johto region.

This piece of information was what finally convinced him that he really needs to call a meeting among Indigo's Pillars to discuss their next course of action.

Team Rocket is not just planning to start a war, they are planning to start a massacre and conquer the entire Indigo. It is horrifying to even look at it. Team Rocket plans to start doing so during National Day itself. However, the information regarding Team Rocket's plans that was given to Lance was incomplete, so Lance guesses that his mysterious informant must not have been able to get anything more than this. Still, that is more than enough for him to make preparations, for the Indigo League to make preparations.

"Just _appeared _on your office table? That clearly means a security breach at HQ itself!"

"Can we focus on the _bigger _picture at hand here?!"

"Well, it's not like we can just cancel the proceedings! It's _National Day!_"

Surge is right. They really need to focus on the bigger picture at hand here. Who the informant really is is not that important anymore, not when they now know that it is extremely likely that an attack of a scale none of them had ever seen before is about to be launched on Indigo, starting from the Indigo Plateau on Indigo National Day itself.

Thankfully, this time, it's like this informant had dug up _everything _about Team Rocket. From their size, numbers, list of known bases in every part of both regions, their business dealings, notable members, battle plans, _everything_ the informant could find or know. Regarding the upcoming attack on Indigo Plateau on National Day, his informant only added two words as his suggestion.

_Counter Ambush._

"Counter Ambush." Lance spoke up. "Our only way forward to solve this crisis in order to protect our people and take out Team Rocket at the same time is to prepare a counter ambush."

It made sense to Lance. National Day has always been a big event that has been carefully prepared at least half a year in advance. Tickets sold to the public to watch the proceedings had long since sold out and many things had been fixed in stone. The safety of the people attending the celebration is of utmost priority at Indigo Plateau because it is where the literal shit will first hit the fan. The fact that everything will be broadcasted live on TV on that day is worrying enough. The Rocket members scattered across the various cities will use that as the cue to riot across Johto when some sort of signal can be seen through TV. The signal absolutely cannot be sent out or seen on TV, whatever that signal will be.

However, despite how much he wants to cancel the entire National Day proceedings and conduct the operation to clean up Team Rocket immediately, _right now,_ Lance knows it is not possible.

Not when they have to keep Kain in the dark, the person who had done many unspeakable things behind everyone's backs for the sake of his own ideals. Not when in order to net as many Team Rocket members as possible and stamp them out for good, they have to wait for the day where all the Team Rocket members will gather together and unfortunately, such an opportunity will only be available on National Day itself. Not when they cannot alert Team Rocket to the fact that the League already caught wind of their plans and is preparing a nasty surprise for them. Not when they cannot alert Giovanni, who is one of their own and yet also the true leader behind this rebellion.

So, counter ambush it is. It is the most effective way to spring the trap Team Rocket had set before springing their own surprise back at those terrorists.

What worries Lance is that Team Rocket knows seemingly everything about Indigo's Pillars and has devised ways to neutralise each of them. It made him boil in rage when he knew that _Giovanni _was the true leader behind that organisation all along. He was spying on them as a fellow member of the Indigo Thirteen Pillars and _nobody _realised it.

He had played them all for suckers.

"I agree with Lance. National Day is coming up really soon." Chuck noted with crossed arms. "We could respond to the situation by doing a large scale military operation just right before National Day, but we do need time to plan everything out in order to properly take down Team Rocket and Giovanni for good and that's not taking into account our meddlesome President that may or may not make things difficult for us if he knows about it. Whatever we want to do, we have no choice but to do it on National Day itself because postponing it till after National Day is not an option."

"I agree." Koga voiced out. "Considering the unprecedented scale of it, we should take some time to properly plan the entire operation out, which will definitely take more than just a few days given the size of Team Rocket. National Day itself will be when Team Rocket's guard is at their lowest because they are sure they will succeed. It is also the perfect time to strike and take them out."

"Then there is the problem of protecting the civilians who will be there at the proceedings during the celebration." Whitney voiced out. "How are we going to go about protecting them when everything is going to be so chaotic? There will be too many of them for us to protect!"

"I'm sure we can figure something out." Pryce easily diffused the situation before raising another point. "What I'm worried about is the worst case scenario of the various Team Rocket factions suddenly trying to take over the various cities they are stationed at as they had apparently planned. Our forces will be stretched very thin even if we mobilise all of them."

"If we want it to be a _surprise_, mobilising all our forces has to be done before the big day, and that is also a very suspicious thing in itself." Will said. "How are we going to hoodwink Giovanni and Kain regarding that issue? And that's not taking into account that there might be Rocket or Kain's spies hidden within the ranks."

"I have a long list of Team Rocket members with me from my informant, including those who had infiltrated the League forces. The list is a lot longer than the copy in the League's database." Lance offered. "We can use this to do a preemptive strike by taking the spies down just hours before the proceeding happens, right before they can do anything on the big day. This will be a job for the most trusted men I have in STAR. That way, we can quickly mobilise all our forces without Kain and Giovanni knowing. Even if they do realise that something is wrong, it will be too late for them to react."

Lance cleared his throat before continuing.

"I will have all our forces on standby days before National Day on the excuse of 'turbulent times', seeing what had happened in Lilycove about half a year ago and the attack on the Johto National Park. That wouldn't be too suspicious to anyone. We can quickly mobilise them at a moment's notice after we rooted all the spies."

"The timing has to be right. Too early and it will raise suspicions. Too late and we might not be able to do anything. Mobilising everyone takes time too." Falkner contributed.

"The elite forces of the STAR, Rangers, and Police will definitely have to be utilised." Lance added. "Thankfully, a significant portion of them will be there at Indigo Plateau on the big day and they are not strangers to emergency missions. I will assign them emergency missions the moment we take care of the Rocket members infesting Indigo Plateau on the big day, so that's one concern down."

"We will have to draft up a list of emergency missions to be handed out right on the day itself then, for the sake of secrecy. Everyone not in the know will have to fly by the seat of their pants on that big day, which is like, more than 90% of our forces?" Morty questioned.

"Most likely." Jasmine said with a sigh.

"I don't want to sound pessimistic, but are we enough?" Erika said politely as she raised her concern. "Sounds to me that we really need any kind of help we can get right now."

"The other regions' representatives will be here too on that day, right?" Sabrina offered. "They are either their region's Thirteen Pillars or accomplished experts in their own field. What if we ask them for help?"

"Are you crazy?! Letting _foreigners _meddle with our own politics?!" Clair exclaimed.

"We do need all the help we can get, right?!"

"It's an option. Sorry to say, but at this point we are pretty much in a fucked up spot." Lance said as he dragged a tired palm across his face. "If we have to swallow our pride to ask for external help in exchange for Indigo's safety, then I'll do it without a second thought. The safety of Indigo and her people is of our utmost priority, do not forget that."

A cough sounded out from the back and everyone turned towards the source. Blaine stood up from where he sat beside Pryce.

"Lance, is this the full extent you know about Team Rocket and Giovanni? Is this all your mysterious informant told you? Especially about Mewtwo?"

"Yes…?" Lance replied with uncertainty.

"I see." Blaine sighed. "I should have known that Giovanni is the leader of Team Rocket. How could I be so naïve? I knew something within him changed when we both stepped down as Elite Four members, I should have kept an eye on him."

"If even Sabrina cannot foretell this future, then I doubt you are at fault." Pryce snorted.

"No, this is different." Blaine waved Pryce's assurance off before turning back to face his colleagues. "I guess this is not the time to be holding onto secrets. I have a revelation to make and hopefully, Giovanni isn't insane enough to continue where we left off previously."

That got everyone's attention immediately.

"Come on, old man, don't tell me you were in cahoots with Giovanni?"

Blaine turned to Whitney with a weary look on his face and she paled at the silent confirmation.

"I really hope this is just needless paranoia but in light of the current situation, I think everyone here has a right to know about the organisation Giovanni had created more than twenty years ago, and what me and Fuji had attempted in secret right before Giovanni and I stepped down as Elite Four members. Giovanni had always been obsessed with possessing a deterrence. For all of our sakes, I really hope that Project Rebirth has not been completed."

* * *

**Name: Skye Bale, 16, Female**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 9****th**** Ranger Regiment, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Staff Sergeant**

**Code Name: Zephyr**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. Pidgeot (Crown), male **

**2\. Gliscor (Glide), male **

**3\. Skarmory (Dia), female **

**4\. Crobat (Beats), male **

**5\. Jumpluff (Cotton), female **

**6\. Dragonite (Tino), female **

**7\. Noivern (Echo), male **

**8\. Emolga, (Emi), female **

**9\. Hawlucha (Hawk), male **

**10\. Sigilyph (Cosmo), female **

**11\. Aerodactyl (Aria), female **

**12\. Masquerain (Heli), male**


	14. Chapter 14- Downtime

"So how will you be spending your weekends, Skye?" Amy asked as we changed out of our Ranger uniforms in our bunk and dressed up in our civilian clothes. For the ladies, dresses and skirts are not allowed in camp. The only approved civilian attire when in camp is shirt and jeans. It's the same for everyone, no exceptions.

Not like I mind. I always preferred wearing jeans or shorts anyway. Never been much of a girly girl.

It's finally Friday night and we get to book out. We will book in on Sunday night before 2200h and then the rehearsals will start again on Monday. It's now about a month before National Day. Time sure flies.

"With my brothers, I guess. Mum's death anniversary is this Saturday so we will be paying her a visit. Maybe catch up a little with what is going on with our lives before I book into camp again."

I took the red cap I kept within my metal cabinet in my bunk and using the standing mirror hung on the inner side of my cabinet's door, carefully adjusted the red cap on my head and pushed my ponytail through the hole at the back of the cap. I only wear this cap when I am in civilian attire. In camp, I wear the usual orange Ranger cap as part of our standard uniform attire.

"You always wear that cap. It's kinda old. You sure you don't want to replace it?"

"It's the only thing Dad left me before he disappeared." I replied as I slung my bag over my shoulders, locked my cabinet, and looked in Amy's direction. She's done as well, so I gestured towards the door of our bunk with my head.

"Book out?"

"Anytime, ma'am!"

The both of us walked out of our bunk and locked the door behind us before walking to the Duty Officer Office where we have to register ourselves whenever we book in or out. Once we went in, we were surprised to see a familiar face at the Duty Officer's desk.

"Jacky? You are the Duty Officer for today?"

"Sadly." Jacky replied with an exaggerated sigh. "There goes my Friday book out."

"At least you didn't get Saturday duty. Those are usually the worst." Amy said with a laugh as she patted his back to encourage him. "Only a few hours of nights out on Friday night before booking back in, and then on duty for the entire Saturday until Sunday morning! And then back to book in at night!"

"Please don't remind me." Jacky shuddered. "I almost really got Saturday duty. Missed it by a hair's breadth this time."

"So, can we book out now, _Duty Officer?_" I said teasingly and Jacky rolled his eyes.

"Rub it into my face some more, why don't you?" Jacky grumbled before taking out a handheld scanner that is linked into the Duty Officer's computer. "IDs out, girls."

The both of us happily showed Jacky the barcode at the back of our Ranger IDs. With a quick scan of the barcode using the scanner, we have already registered ourselves as booked out.

"Bye Jacky! See you on Sunday night!" Amy waved to Jacky on our behalf as we walked out of the office, which he returned in kind. We continued to walk until we were out of the camp gates of the Indigo Plateau Ranger Camp. We both released our pidgeots and got on their backs, ready for the long trip home.

"See you, Skye!"

Amy took off with a wave of her hand which I returned. Amy stays at Goldenrod, which isn't far from Violet but if she wants to make a direct trip home using the shortest route possible then this is where we part. I took off on Crown's back soon after and released my team out as we leisurely flew across the skies, enjoying the winds brushing past our faces.

We reached back home at Violet soon enough. I do not need to recall my team back into their pokeballs because we have an aviary and they can simply rest there. I entered through the front door which I had stared at a lot when I was a child waiting for Dad to come home. Surprisingly, Falkner is already home.

"Welcome back." Falkner greeted me with a smile from where he was sipping on some coffee on the couch and watching the news. "Had dinner?"

"I already ate. You?" I asked in return which he nodded.

"Sis! You're back!" Ciel exclaimed the moment he walked out of the room and spotted me. His wimpod scuttled behind him.

"Yup. I'm home. How's school?"

"First in class." Ciel flashed me a smug grin as he put his hands on his hips. "Come on, praise me."

"Brat."

"We'll need to wake up early tomorrow to visit Mum, so don't stay up too late." Falkner reminded us as he got up from the couch with a yawn. "I'll be turning in early. Night."

"Night." I replied and watched as my older brother went back to his room. I turned back to Ciel.

"He looks a lot more busy than usual."

"Yeah, he is." Ciel said with a shrug. "He looks a lot more stressed out recently too. He did tell me something weird though."

"Which is?"

"Stay home during National Day. Under no circumstances would I go out."

"Why?" I asked with a frown. It's not like Falkner to tell us something like that as though he is ordering us around.

"Beats me, but he sounded deadly serious so I agreed." Ciel sighed before looking back at me. "You will be at Indigo Plateau that day, right?"

"Well, I have to be. I'm part of the parade."

"Big bro won't be around too, so it's just me at home alone then." Ciel groaned and wilted. "Boooooriiiingg."

"If you _really _have nothing to do you can always volunteer to do the chores in the house."

Ciel's attitude did an immediate one hundred and eighty degree change.

"It's weird. Suddenly it's not boring to be alone at home any longer."

"You ass."

* * *

Visiting Mum's grave isn't that much of a solemn affair. At least, not anymore. We just go there with a bouquet of flowers, clean it up a little. Talk to her for a bit about what is currently going on with our lives to assure her that we are doing well.

We _are _doing well. Falkner is a Gym Leader just like Dad. I am now in the 1st Ranger Regiment. Ciel is top in his class, like usual. This way, Mum would not need to worry about us if she could see us now. We can take care of ourselves.

We do have the rest of the afternoon free after that, so Ciel proposed that we go see a movie since it has been a long time since all three of us had been to the cinema together. Naturally, Falkner and I agreed. We let Ciel choose the tickets since neither Falkner nor I had any idea what movies are screening right now and we also would not know what movies to watch. So, Ciel went to get the tickets using Falkner's credit card and we simply waited for him to come back as we waited outside.

Seeing that we are finally alone, I spoke up.

"You have not been acting yourself ever since last night. Spill it. What's up?"

Falkner simply sighed.

"You will be there at Indigo Plateau during National Day, right?"

"Yes. I thought that much was obvious?" I replied with a raised eyebrow.

"I cannot reveal or say anything, Skye. All I can say is that to be mission ready on that day. Be prepared for _anything _and be careful."

_"Mission ready?"_ I asked in a whisper, making sure to keep my voice low so as not to draw any attention to ourselves. My brother is a public figure, so trying to walk around without him having to wave to people every five minutes is kinda hard. I don't need to draw even more attention to ourselves.

"Yes. _Mission ready_." My brother emphasised. "That's really all I can say, Skye. I'm already breaking the rules by telling you to be mission ready on that day. I cannot reveal anything else. Something big _will _happen that day."

"On _National Day_." I said in part disbelief, part shock. It's not that I don't trust my older brother but to think that something so big will happen on that important day is a shocking thing in itself. Not only that, he _cannot _tell me anything that he thinks or knows that will happen that day.

Just what is so important or so big that he cannot tell me a single thing?

"Just be careful, Skye. Promise me this." Falkner looked at me, his eyes dead serious. I know that he is not kidding the moment I saw the look in his eyes. He's genuinely worried.

"Alright. I will be careful. Promise." I promised. "Is there really nothing you can tell me beyond _mission ready?_"

Falkner looked away and I know not to press on any further. This is why I hate it when my family has Gym Leaders. It's always like this. Secrets after secrets.

"It's fine. I understand. I will be careful that day." I broke the silence as I leaned my back against the wall beside him. "Ciel told me that you instructed him to stay at home that day, so whatever will happen will or might implicate Violet City too. Must be something really big, huh?"

"It is." Falkner admitted. "I'm sorry. It's not like I want to hide it from you two but…"

"I said it's fine. I understand." I replied, trying to keep the bitterness out of my voice because I know how hard this is for my older brother as well, even if I don't like this one single bit. "I will be careful. You be careful too."

"I got it."

Ciel interrupted the conversation when he returned with three tickets in hand. I scowled when I saw the type of popcorn he bought.

"_Salted_ popcorns?" I said in disgust. "Ew."

"Salted popcorn is the good shit." Ciel defended his choice with righteousness. "Besides, _I _was the one who went to get the tickets and the popcorn. _I_ get to choose."

"It's not even your money you are using. And sweet popcorn is the real deal."

"Eh, big bro is fine with salted popcorn. Ain't that right, big bro?"

"I'm fine with both." Falkner said with a shrug. "Never really thought of it as such a big deal."

"Next time, sweet popcorn." I insisted. "Salted ones are disgusting."

"Oi, don't insult my salted popcorn!"

"Can we just go into the cinema?" Falkner cut in with a sigh.

"Nuh uh. Not until I sort this brat out."

"Like you can, _hag_."

"Oh, _hag?_ This is it, you little rascal. I'm giving you the count of three before-"

"Alright, enough is enough." Falkner dragged us both by the back of our shirts towards the ticket taker. "Both sweet and salted are equally good. End of story."

"Big bro! This is not finished until we decide which is better! Sweet or salted! And obviously salted is better! Come on, big bro! Back me up here!"

"Please leave me out of this argument."

"See? Sweet ones are _better_."

"Salted!"

"Sweet!"

"Salted!"

"Sweet!"

"Say anything else and the popcorn is all mine." Falkner threatened, which promptly shut both of us up. I may have preferred sweet to salted but popcorn is still popcorn. I wouldn't say no to them.

"So…" Ciel carefully asked as he inched closer towards Falkner. "If you really have to choose… it's _salted_, right?"

"It has to be sweet." I insist. "Falkner likes sweet stuff."

"I actually never pegged you to be the type to like sweet popcorn, sis." Ciel commented. "I hardly see you eat sweets at all."

"Yeah, I don't, but I still like to eat sweet popcorn. Problem?" I challenged Ciel while trying to keep my past memories from resurfacing in my mind.

I didn't get to spend much time with Dad, but the few times he brought me to the cinemas he always bought sweet popcorn because he likes them. I disliked the taste initially and preferred salted, but ended up liking sweet over salted as time passed. After he left I always got sweet instead of salted.

I just never told Ciel, who was too young to remember a thing about Dad.

We continued to bicker as we entered the theatre. Ciel sits in the center because he has the popcorn. It is easier for Falkner and I to munch on them if he's in the center.

"So, what are we watching?" I asked curiously as I grabbed myself a handful of popcorn. The screen is currently playing all the advertisements and movie trailers so we have nothing to do but to munch on popcorn for now.

"Horror."

"Wait, what?!" I hissed at my younger brother the moment he said that. I absolutely _hate _watching horror movies!

"You chose the movie the other time." Ciel argued. "It's my turn this time and you know how much I love horror movies. This one has a pretty high rating too. The reviews were pretty good as well."

"Oh fuck me." I groaned as I covered my face with my palms. "I should have known that you would definitely choose to watch a horror movie. Why did I let you choose which movie to watch?"

"If it's any consolation I can let you choose the popcorn the next time." Ciel offered.

"I have a feeling Skye will be screaming the loudest during the entire movie." Falkner said with a smirk.

"You guys are freaking sadists." I accused before curling up in my seat. "Why _horror?_ **_Why?_**"

"If you think about it, horror movies are only half as scary if you remove the music and sound effects." Falkner commented. "Just try to ignore that and you will do just fine."

"Yeah, I want to see you _try_ ignoring sound effects in a _theatre_."

"Actually, on second thought, big bro? Can you switch seats with me?"

"Why?"

"I don't want sis to keep screaming into my ear for the next two hours. I will go deaf."

"You brought it upon yourself. Deal with it."

"Big bro!"

"No sweet popcorn, _horror _movie. I hate the both of you."

"Aw, love you too, sis."

"Brat."

* * *

**Name: Skye Bale, 16, Female**

**Affiliated Unit: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1st Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Staff Sergeant**

**Code Name: Zephyr**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. Pidgeot (Crown), male**

**2\. Gliscor (Glide), male**

**3\. Skarmory (Dia), female**

**4\. Crobat (Beats), male**

**5\. Jumpluff (Cotton), female**

**6\. Dragonite (Tino), female**

**7\. Noivern (Echo), male**

**8\. Emolga, (Emi), female**

**9\. Hawlucha (Hawk), male**

**10\. Sigilyph (Cosmo), female**

**11\. Aerodactyl (Aria), female**

**12\. Masquerain (Heli), male**


	15. Chapter 15- Helping Hand

**AN: I made a mistake regarding the chronological order of sequence of chapter 13 and 14. The previous chapter 13 should instead be chapter 14 and chapter 14 should be chapter 13. Basically, I had posted those two chapters in the wrong chronological order. I had already made the amendment with this update. It is a mistake that should have never happened and I apologise for it.**

**Hopefully this chapter will be enough to make up for my mistake. Enjoy.**

* * *

The last time all the regional Champions had a web conference like this, it was right after the Lilycove Invasion about almost a year ago. Another web conference like this held so soon is not a sign of good news.

"Are you certain?"

Wallace's question is understandable. They are all having the same doubts. Not only have they just learnt from Lance that the Indigo League had gotten wind that Team Rocket is planning a large scale attack on Johto during Indigo National Day itself, which is less than a month away, they also learnt that _Giovanni_, the_ Gym Leader_ of Viridian, is the secret leader behind the largest terrorist organisation in the world.

To add the cherry on top, even Indigo's very own President cannot be trusted because of the series of actions that he took that caused the situation to develop into what it is today. Lance is really on his own.

"Champion Lance, our regions are **_not _**allowed to meddle in each other's politics, that is the very first rule that was instituted when the PWL was founded." Looker, who is here as a neutral party on behalf of the PWL and also an observer of this meeting, was the first to voice out the real dilemma of the issue. "Your request is asking everyone to toe a very fine line, Champion Lance. Personally, I'm not sure if I like this arrangement at all."

"I understand where your concerns are coming from." Lance stated. "I had given this matter a lot of thought before calling for this meeting. If the situation isn't as dire as it is, I wouldn't have risked incurring such heavy political repercussions to ask for your assistance. The Indigo League really has no other choice left, the only way I have left to ensure the safety of my people is to ask for external help."

Lance took a brief pause to recollect himself before continuing.

"We all know that we are living in troubled times, and that things around the world are only going to be more dangerous. The prophecy said so, the signs are there, bad things are happening around us. The signs are slowly popping up all over the world one at a time starting from the Lilycove Invasion. This was why we decided to join forces and formed the interpol in a last ditch effort to try and avert the outcome the prophecy foretold. The interpol was a sign of trust between all seven regions that we _can _work towards a common goal, that we _can _help each other in our time of need."

The Dragon Master lowered his head and bowed.

"So, please. Help Indigo. I know this goes against the rules set up by our predecessors through the PWL but this time, those rules are not able to protect Indigo or the world. I know this is a lot to ask but as Champion, the safety of my nation and people are paramount. Millions of lives are at stake and there's no better way that I can think of to resolve this. _Indigo needs help _so _please_, lend me your aid."

There was a brief pause from the other participants of the web conference. Alder was the first to break the silence.

"Champion Lance, please raise your head."

Slowly, Lance raised his head and Alder took this as his cue to continue to speak. This time, the Champion of Unova directed his words to Looker.

"Looker, the PWL was set up through the collective efforts of our region's First Champions in order to maintain a semblance of peace across the world. That peace which we worked so hard to maintain for the past five hundred years is extremely fragile, we all know this. If a single member region were to fall into disarray, it is not a far stretch to say that the alliance we set up through the PWL will crumble. Today, Indigo is about to fall into a state of crisis that can determine the rise or fall of their nation, and subsequently the world we know. I believe this situation calls for several exceptions to be made."

"The First Champions were the ones who wrote the rules and laws that we all abide to even till today. If the collective agreement of all Champions can set the laws in place, then likewise, another collective agreement should be able to change these laws." Wallace spoke up. "If all of us current Champions can come to an agreement to overlook the rule of no interregional interference just this once, I believe that the PWL committee will be agreeable to it as well."

"Times are changing, nothing is eternal." Diantha added. "Seeing Indigo's circumstances and those of our own regions, maybe it's time to rethink if those ancient rules need to be amended in order to keep up with the times. I too, shall offer my support to Lance to help resolve Indigo's current crisis."

Through the screen, it's not hard to see that Looker's face is grim.

"Is everyone present agreeable to answer Champion Lance's request for assistance?" Upon seeing the collective nods, Looker continued. "Very well, as long as everyone is clear about the possible repercussions about this arrangement, I shall respect your wishes and relay them to the PWL committee as soon as possible. I too, believe that such an arrangement, while risky, is necessary. To protect the world however we can, this is the job for the interpol."

"Have you gathered more members?" Wallace inquired.

"Vel and I have identified suitable candidates in our last interregional meeting. They are all people that the various delegations had heavily recommended." Looker explained. "All that's left is to persuade those candidates to join. If all goes well, I would be able to assemble a small team within a few days. Hopefully, within two days from now."

"Speaking of which." Cynthia interrupted the conversation with a serious look on her face. "Just to clarify. Lance, the type of help you need right now are Elite level trainers, right? From what you just told us, Team Rocket is unbelievably huge. Indigo's Pillars will not be enough."

"That is the main factor that made me decide to enlist your help." Lance admitted. "If Team Rocket were to launch a simultaneous attack on every town and city in Indigo and not just Johto, my country's Pillars will have their hands full in trying to protect their own individual city. We will not be able to spare any attention on anything else. From what I now know, Team Rocket is too large and they have no lack of trainers that are close or have attained the strength on par of those with our regions' Pillars. I don't have enough trainers of such skill to aid me in neutralising those threats."

"So you came to us for help because you lack the needed manpower. I see now." Diantha responded in a thoughtful manner. "However, it will take too long for us to send any reinforcements over to Indigo through the seas. They won't make it there on time on your nation's day of founding. You will have to make do with who is already there. Siebold and Valerie are already in Indigo, which makes two. They are experienced Pillars who had their fair share of dealing against internal threats. I will inform them to lend you their aid on behalf of Kalos."

"My region had just snuffed out the threat posed by Team Magma and Team Aqua. Hoenn can also afford to spare a few Pillars." Wallace offered. "Since Drake and Steven are also already in Indigo, I will tell them to do the same thing. They are highly experienced and suited for the task, you can count on them."

"Sinnoh does not have any large threats that need immediate attention at the moment. I can also spare my Pillars to aid you." Cynthia spoke up. "Flint and Lucian are already there, and they had their fair share of dealing with Team Galactic. Flint especially, will be of great use to your cause. I _do _have another candidate in mind that is extremely suited for the task, but..."

The other participants of the web conference all stared curiously upon hearing the unsure tone Cynthia's voice took. This is not something you would usually hear from the Sinnoh Champion. Looker decided to take a shot in the dark.

"Let me guess, Volkner?"

"Yes, him." Cynthia nodded with a sigh. "Unfortunately, I no longer hold any power over him and he no longer stays in Sinnoh. You had met him once before, Lance, you know how he is. If you need an expert on dealing with something as huge as this, Volkner is the person I will strongly recommend you need to have on your side."

"The interpol had tried recruiting Volkner for our cause. The meeting did not go well, Volkner was very resistant to the idea of being a part of the interpol." Looker said with a sigh. "I am starting to doubt that anyone could ever convince him to help out."

"I know where to find him." Lance replied. "I will personally pay him a visit to request for his help once our meeting here is done. Indigo needs people like him right now."

"I will also inform Grimsley and Elesa to lend their assistance to Indigo on behalf of Unova." Alder pledged.

"I am no Champion and I don't have the authority of one, but I can ask Samson to see if he can contribute in any way. He does have a brilliant mind." Professor Kukui, current representative of the Alola region, spoke through the screen.

"Thank you." Lance said from the bottom of his heart as he did another bow, grateful that his plea for help had been answered and that help had been offered without hesitation. "Thank you."

"So, to make sure that we are all on the same page." Looker cut into the conversation while reading a list, bringing everyone's attention to him immediately. "Firstly, all member regions are agreeable in responding to Lance's request for help to stop Team Rocket's plans. Secondly, the various region's representatives that are already here in Indigo will be mobilised to help Indigo stop Team Rocket."

"If you can get Volkner to help, then that's one more." Cynthia reminded once again.

"That is if anyone can convince him to help." Looker sighed.

"You know, seeing the reaction you and Cynthia have whenever Volkner is mentioned, is he the type of person to really sit out on something as grave as this?" Kukui asked curiously.

"He's good at what he does, but he can be a little… troublesome to work with." Cynthia completed her sentence after some thought. "I can't blame him for acting that way given that his experience with working for the Sinnoh League wasn't all that pleasant, but he is not the type to turn a blind eye towards an issue as grave as this. If Lance is indeed going to pay him a personal visit to request for Volkner to lend Indigo his strength, I believe that there is a solid chance that he will agree, and given that his wife is definitely going to be involved in this upcoming conflict, all the more so."

"I see." Looker nodded in acknowledgement before continuing. "Then all in all, Indigo will receive foreign assistance in the form of the other member region's Pillars and they will be helping out in this coming crisis. As of now, there are two from Hoenn, two from Sinnoh, two from Unova, two from Kalos, and one from Alola. That makes a total of eight additional Pillars and one Pokemon Professor that will be mobilised to help Indigo. Of which, one is a future Champion, five Elite Fours, two Gym Leaders, and a Professor."

"It's a pretty impressive lineup." Alder let out a low whistle upon hearing the breakdown. "I believe that this is the first time Pillars from every region are gathered together like this."

"Maybe we really should have done something like this a long time ago. I have a feeling that we are witnessing the formation of something monumental here." Diantha said with a smile.

"This is a moment that will be recorded into the history books, that is for sure." Cynthia chuckled. "And we are all part of this story."

"Together, we can put up a wonderful show that Team Rocket will never forget." Wallace mused.

"I guess I'm honoured to be a part of this significant moment." Kukui laughed out loud. "Never thought that there will be a day that I will participate in a meeting with Champions."

"Hah! With such firepower on the way, you can be rest assured that things will go well on your end, Lance! So don't put up that long face and smile! You are the Champion of Indigo!" Alder spoke with that booming and upbeat voice of his, lightening the mood in an instant.

"If everyone is agreeable to this arrangement, then this meeting is now adjourned." Looker spoke up. "We have much to prepare for."

* * *

"Heya boss! How's your weekend?"

"Still as annoyingly energetic as ever, I see." Pyral started with a tired sigh when the youngest member of his squadron greeted him brightly when they fall in for reveille on Monday morning. For once, he is actually glad to see them on a Monday.

Not like he would ever admit it. These annoying kids wouldn't stop making fun of him otherwise.

"Something came up during the weekend?"

Pyral can feel his left eyebrow twitching slightly at that remark from Amy. Why does his Rangers have to be so perceptive now of all times?

"So something _really _came up?" Rufus added with a low whistle.

"Alright, boss, I'll bite. What kind of fucked up oh-shit mission have we been assigned to this time?"

"Language, Adam." Jacky reprimanded half-heartedly. "But potty mouth is right, boss. Aren't we supposed to be getting ready for rehearsals today? What changed?"

"Damn. And I thought we finally caught a damn break."

"Nothing came up." Pyral snorted. "It's just that the higher ups realised that we had been too lax in urban evacuation training and running through similar simulations. That is what we will be going through today. For now, rehearsals had been put on hold for this entire week."

"_Urban evacuation training?_ Why now of all times?"

"The recent spike in crime and terrorist activities warranted such a concern. Someone high up in the command chain brought it up and now all three Indigo forces are focusing their efforts to prevent such a thing from happening again." Pyral told his Rangers the official statement he is allowed to reveal to them, surprising even himself at how smooth the lie came out from his mouth.

"It seems that nowadays, terrorists like the Rockets have a penchant for targeting big events that are crowded with people. National Day just happened to be one such event, unlikely as it is to be targeted, but we still have to be extremely careful about it. Nobody expected the Johto National Park to be targeted and look at what resulted from it. Just ask Skye what kind of hell really went on back there."

"Not something I would like to experience again." Skye answered flatly.

"This is just in preparation for the worst case scenario. Hopefully, it won't come to this." Pyral lied through his teeth because he knows things _will _come to the worst case scenario that day. This will be the shittiest oh-shit-mission that they will be on. The only thing he can do now is to prepare his Rangers as best as he can.

"For the entirety of today, we will be doing squadron level training. Given the kind of shit we've been through all the time I don't think this will be too hard for you guys, so consider today as warm-up practice. Starting tomorrow, we will be doing inter squadron exercises with the other 1st Regiment squadrons that are also here at the Indigo Plateau. That means working with the Kanto group too, so if you have any political opinions you keep your mouth sealed if you don't want to get into any kind of trouble, you hear me?"

In a show of unexpected teamwork, everyone looked to Adam.

"The fucking hell?! Why do you guys always look at me as if I'm the fucking troublemaker?! Since when do you guys see me mouthing off about politics?! **_Stop _**looking at me like that!"

* * *

The day was over faster than he could blink. Pyral slumped in his chair the moment he had some privacy in his own bunk, where he did not need to put up any facade or mask in front of his own Rangers no less, the kids who he trusted to have his back under any kind of situation. These kids made up the squadron which he led, the Black Squadron of the Johto 1st Ranger Regiment.

He can still recall when everything started to go to shit on that Saturday morning two days ago.

The first sign that some shit is about to go down was when he was secretly called to go to Indigo HQ during the weekend. It irked him because for one, he had to wear that stuffy formal Ranger uniform which they only wear for formal events or ceremonies. Secondly, whenever anyone gets called to HQ, it usually isn't good news.

He was proven right that when not only him, he saw many other people of his rank and even higher was present when he was led into a secret meeting room. His fellow squadron commanders of the 1st Ranger Regiment are all there, for starters. He saw many other hotshots in that same room as well from the other forces. There are STAR commanders and also those from the police. Each of them are high ranking individuals that hold a lot of power in whatever unit or division they are a part of.

And need he say anything about how everybody systematically divided themselves into the 'Kanto' group and the 'Johto' group within the large meeting room they are in? Even the commanders that hail from the Rangers are separated into two distinct groups in which region they came from. The untimely reappearance of the topic of the Kanto Ban really came at the wrong time.

He remembered starting to wish that he never received the message.

Naturally, he went over to the side of the group which consists of people he knew. A round of asking around tells him that his fellow colleagues had no idea what this meeting is about either, which made his eyebrows raise slightly higher. None of them even knew that each of them would also be here in the first place since the whole meeting was supposed to be hush-hush as stated when they received the secret order.

And then he knew things must be _very _serious when _he _walked into the room.

_Lance Wataru_, the current Champion of Indigo.

Lance didn't waste any time. He got straight to the discussion at hand and explained what this meeting is all about. It was then that the literal bomb was dropped onto them.

"Excuse me, sir, but _what the fuck?!"_

The outburst of one of the STAR commanders from Kanto said it all. All their doubts, disbelief, and whatever fuck shit nonsense are summarised into what that STAR commander just said.

_What the fuck._

"You heard me right." Lance said in a firm voice. "Team Rocket is planning a region wide attack on Johto that will be conducted on the upcoming National Day. Viridian's Gym Leader, Giovanni, is the true leader behind Team Rocket. Team Rocket had infiltrated deep into our ranks across all forces. Anyone of a similar rank to you but not here with us right now is considered a part of Team Rocket."

Pyral is sure all of them heard their Champion clearly the first time, but that is not making it any easier to digest the news. There are a few familiar faces that are of his rank and higher within the Johto Rangers that are not here today, which means that these people, his fellow _comrades_ and _superiors_ who he had known for _years_, are **_Rockets_**.

And wasn't that a real sucker punch to the gut?

"I will repeat myself _again _to make myself _clear_." Lance spoke in an authoritative tone that made everyone know that this matter is not up for debate. "Anyone within your respective forces of your rank and higher who are _not _here today are _confirmed _to be a part of, or working for Team Rocket. My standing order is to keep an eye on them, but do _not _alert them that we are onto them. We have reliable grounds to suspect that Team Rocket are targeting the celebrations. They will start a region-wide attack during Indigo National Day starting from the Indigo Plateau and unfortunately, there is nothing we can do to stop it from happening at this point, not if we want to put a permanent stop to Team Rocket."

The screen behind Lance had the big bold words of 'Operation Unity' displayed. It will be one of the largest operations undertaken in the history of the Indigo League with all three forces fully involved.

"This is why after much discussion with the Generals of the three forces and the Gym Leaders, we are going through with Operation Unity. We will be going for a counter ambush because while this is a danger of an unprecedented level, it is also the best chance we have in order to exterminate the Rockets completely. This means the element of surprise on our side is absolutely necessary. Team Rocket has eyes and ears _everywhere _so for this to work we _cannot _alert Team Rocket that we are onto them, we need to ensure absolute secrecy on our side. Each and every division and squad will receive separate missions and orders to be executed on that day. Our priority is to quell the violence that will no doubt erupt on that day, protect the civilians, and take down as many Rockets as we can."

Lance took a brief pause before continuing his speech.

"I know the distrust in this room is strong right now with the discussion of the Kanto Ban going on, but right now is not the time for petty squabbles or to bring politics into the table. _Lives are at stake here._" Lance stressed as his sharp gaze swept across the room, making many of them straighten their backs on reflex.

"It doesn't matter right now whether you are a Kantonian or Johtonian, or if you are from the STAR, Rangers, or the Police. _Our duty is to protect and save lives_. That is the one thing that we _all _share and swear to when we take on our positions and we will do it _right_, and that includes putting down our _personal _differences."

Lance gave another sweeping look across the room, the eyes of the Dragon Master daring anybody to try and challenge his authority.

_"Am I clear?"_

The following **"Yes sir!"** was definitely loud and clear.

* * *

"Well, glad to see that very few on our side is a Rocket."

The meeting was over after Lance passed down their new secret mission. They were all dismissed and ordered to report to their respective forces where they will take their individual orders from their overall commanding officer. In the case of the Rangers, that person is General Wendell Hartatter, the man who oversees the Rangers of the entire Indigo Ranger Force. Beside him are Lieutenant General Chester Ramper, the commanding officer of the Rangers in the Johto Region, and Lieutenant General Horace Cullay, the commanding officer of the Rangers in the Kanto Region.

"Whatever that needs to be said has already been said by our Champion." General Wendell said in a grave voice. "Each and every division and squadron will be assigned their own individual mission which Chester and Horace will personally pass to you, depending on which region you came from. I know the distrust that comes from the Kanto Ban came at a really bad time and certain things don't simply magically disappear, but I sincerely hope that we can put our individual differences aside. Kanto or Johto, it doesn't matter. What is our foremost duty as Rangers?"

"Protect the balance and peace of humans and pokemon. To save lives." Lieutenant Colonel Aaron Ridge of Kanto Red Squadron recited out loud, which was followed by everyone else.

"That's right. We are Rangers, we save lives." General Wendell gave a nod at these words. "As much as I do not want to admit this, but as you can already see, there are fellow Rangers among our ranks who are not here with us today. You all know what this means. Some of you will be tasked with apprehending them silently on the big day itself. Until then, do not do anything to alert them that their cover had been blown. We do not want to alert Team Rocket that we caught wind of what they are planning, am I clear?"

There was another solemn chorus of "Yes sir!" It is not hard to see the crestfallen expressions on a few of their faces, knowing that the people who they personally knew for years had been revealed to be working for the Rockets.

This feeling really sucks.

"First of all. Commanding officers of the Five Colour Squadrons of the Indigo 1st Ranger Regiment, step up."

As one, ten different commanders, five from each region, stepped up and saluted the General. It was then Pyral had a faint smile on his face, because _all ten_ of them are _here _today.

The 1st Ranger Regiment really is made up of the best of the best, and he is proud to be a part of it.

"Hold your heads high, Rangers. Be proud." General Wendell said with a large grin on his face and his words were responded when all ten of them straightened their backs and held their heads up high with pride. "Among the valiant men and women in all your squadrons,_ not a single one_ of them are found to be affiliated with the Rockets in any way. No words can describe how proud and relieved I am when I first learnt of this. I'm counting on you, Rangers of the 1st Ranger Regiment."

Pyral heaved a mental sigh of relief at that statement, a sentiment he is sure that his fellow commanders share. He isn't sure if he could stomach it if any of his five Rangers are found to be working for the Rockets. He isn't sure if he could bring himself to bring them to justice if that were the case.

Thank Ho-oh his kids are good kids.

General Wendell straightened himself further as he barked out his orders.

"Johto Black, Yellow squadron. Kanto Red, Green, Blue squadron, listen up!"

Pyral straightened his back even further. He idly noted that the squadrons who were called out are all part of the National Day proceedings and will be there at Indigo Plateau on that day itself.

"I will now give you your mission that will be executed on National Day. Lives are at stake. Failure is not an option. Until the big day itself, secrecy is of the utmost importance. Each of the Rangers under your command will have to fly by the seat of their pants on the big day itself because the existence of the mission is not to be revealed even to your men until I personally give the all clear on that day itself. That's how important and confidential this mission is and I trust all of you to execute it properly."

Pyral closed his eyes and sighed when the memory of that fateful Saturday reminded him once again of what is to come.

Once again, it seems that this is another oh-shit-mission that the Black Squadron will be taking. Oh well, at least this time there are four more squadrons undertaking this oh-shit mission alongside them. They will make it work somehow.

He will make sure his Rangers can not only complete the secret mission that they will be suddenly tasked to complete on that day itself, but make it out alive in one piece too. As the commander of the Black Squadron, he will make sure that nobody on his squadron dies.

Not on his watch.

* * *

**Name: Skye Bale, 16, Female**

**Known affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 9****th**** Ranger Regiment, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Staff Sergeant**

**Code Name: Zephyr**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. Pidgeot (Crown), male**

**2\. Gliscor (Glide), male**

**3\. Skarmory (Dia), female**

**4\. Crobat (Beats), male**

**5\. Jumpluff (Cotton), female**

**6\. Dragonite (Tino), female**

**7\. Noivern (Echo), male**

**8\. Emolga, (Emi), female**

**9\. Hawlucha (Hawk), male**

**10\. Sigilyph (Cosmo), female**

**11\. Aerodactyl (Aria), female**

**12\. Masquerain (Heli), male**


	16. Chapter 16- Traveller

"Lance, is there something you need my help with?"

Everybody's busy preparing for the big battle that they all know will happen soon, especially Lance. This was why Falkner found it so surprising that Lance had actually called him over to Indigo Plateau for a talk.

"No, it's something else." Lance shook his head from where he was sitting behind his office desk and after a few seconds of silence, picked up a printed copy of a document from the pile on his table.

"My men are still busy analysing the load of information the informant gave us and we are far from finished in sorting through the entire thing, but just last night, they came across this hidden report that detailed one of Kain's dirty deeds. I'm not sure if this is the right time to inform you about it, but I still feel that you and your family have the right to know."

Hesitantly, Falkner took the document that Lance offered. The report wasn't very detailed and he finished reading through it in less than a minute. However-

_Fucking **Kain**._

"I'll fucking **_kill _**him." Falkner stood up in rage and marched towards the door, his right hand still gripping tightly onto the report as it crumpled under his hold. There's no telling what he'll do if Lance didn't stop him in time and pulled him back.

"Falkner. _Not now._ I know you are mad, I am angry too. I was Champion when Walker was still the Gym Leader and even I had no idea this was what really happened to him. I know all you care about now is to tear him asunder but _now is **not **the time._"

"Dad went _missing _when he was out on a mission to locate the Sinjoh Ruins, that was what you told me when I first became Gym Leader." Falkner turned around and spat in Lance's face, the anger burning at the back of his mind the only thing he can feel right now. He held up the crumpled report in his hand right in front of Lance's face.

"Do you _know _how my father's disappearance had affected my siblings? Throughout_ all these years? _Especially my sister? She really believed that he had _abandoned _us and there's _nothing _I can do or tell her that it is **_not _**the case, because the Sinjoh Ruins is a _national secret_. And now you are telling me Dad, he… He was _murdered?! By **Kain?!**_** YOU ARE THE CHAMPION! **How did you _not know_ about this until now?!"

"I wasn't the one who gave Walker the order to locate the Sinjoh Ruins. I have no idea who gave him the order or that he actually went on such a mission until his disappearance." Lance quickly explained. "All I knew was that someone had given him the mission on orders from the League that wasn't authorised by me and that it has something to do with the Sinjoh Ruins. I have no idea if Walker even knew if that mission wasn't authorised by me, or if he decided to do it anyway with that knowledge. There were no clues left for us to find out who was the real mastermind behind that fake mission order until _now_."

"Kain. _Him again_." Falkner said with gritted teeth. "But Dad is a Gym Leader. _How _on earth did Kain managed to murder him? Even if he had a capable trainer on his side, Dad is a Flying Specialist. Escaping from a perilous situation should be easy for someone of his calibre."

The report in his hand did not mention anything on how Walker Bale, the previous Gym Leader of Violet City, was eliminated. The only thing written was that he had been removed from the picture and that he was sent on a mission to locate the Sinjoh Ruins. That was all.

Falkner needs answers, _badly_. He couldn't face his siblings otherwise.

The two Pillars of Indigo remained in silence, each not knowing what to say to the other.

"I have no idea how I'm going to break this news to Skye and Ciel, especially Skye. She changed so much after Dad's disappearance." Falkner said in a low whisper, a mixed look of sorrow and anger on his face. "She kept saying she hated Dad for disappearing on us without a word but she's the one who is wishing for his return the most. How am I going to tell her that Dad is KIA instead of MIA? She will _break_."

"I promise I will get to the bottom of this as soon as the Rocket crisis is over." Lance promised as he placed a comforting hand on Falkner's shoulder. "Kain owes us too many explanations, but this is not the time. Now, Indigo's safety is our priority."

"I understand." Falkner answered after a few seconds, even if it is obvious that it is visibly taking all of his effort to say that. "I will keep this to myself for now. My siblings and I have waited for ten years, we can afford a few more weeks. Just don't let me catch a glimpse of the bastard until then, I cannot promise you that I will not kill him on sight."

With that, Violet City's Gym Leader stormed out of Lance's office and slammed the door behind him, fury still clear on his face as he made his leave.

_"Kain Briggs."_ Lance gritted out as he punched the wall in his anger the moment he was alone once more in his office. The pain in his fist he felt from punching the wall did nothing to quell the anger in his heart. Not just because he is angry at Kain for needlessly meddling with everything that is not his business to do so, but also angry at himself for his failings as Champion. The more he dug deeper into Kain's secrets, the more horrifying it gets.

_He should have known. He is the **Indigo Champion**._

Some Champion he is.

* * *

"What, in the world is _this?_"

Every Ranger is entitled to have their own locker to store their stuff in the locker room, which is also conveniently located next to the changing rooms in case we ever need to hurry and change into our combat gear for sudden deployment. However, what I never expected to happen was for the lockers to be used by others to send each other _confession letters._

"Oooh, open them up, Skye! Open them up!" Amy exclaimed from where she was beside me. Yes, that's right. The first thing I saw when I opened my locker was to find confession letters stuffed in it somehow. It's not just one, it's not just two, but an entire pile of them.

"Maybe those aren't for me because they got the locker number wrong?" I suggested lamely, but even I know that my suggestion does not sound convincing at all. Heck, it's not even the first time I received a confession in this lifetime, I had received a few back when I was still in the 9th Regiment, but this really takes the cake.

"Someone's popular, I see." Jacky whistled when he came over to see what the commotion was all about. He turned around and shouted in Rufus' direction.

"Hey loverboy! Any of these happen to be yours?!"

"Hey, if I wanna woo Skye I definitely wouldn't do something as outdated as writing confession letters! I would go down on a knee and propose immediately!"

"Real man, that one." Jacky chuckled while I was sorting through the pile of letters with a frown. I haven't opened my locker for a while because there wasn't a need to recently, so I have missed these. Furthermore, from the looks of it these letters all came from different people.

"Hey, lovely! I am not brave enough to approach you in person, so I hope the words written in this letter can convey my feelings for you. I know we just met, but ever since I laid my eyes on you these feelings I have for you keep growing every day. Nowadays, I could not sleep without thinking about you. Every night, I would dream of you and when I wake up in the morning I wake up with a smile on my face because I may see you-"

"Alright, that's enough." I snatched the letter that Amy had opened without my permission and started to read out loud for the entire squadron to hear. Adam is already rolling on the floor howling with laughter while Rufus is leaning onto one of the lockers for support, his hands on his stomach and trying to catch his breath from laughing too much. Jacky is obviously doing his best not to laugh but I can see that he is quickly failing.

"I have another!" Amy whipped out another letter she got from somewhere that I had missed and opened that too. "Oh, I know this guy! He's from Liam's squadron, wasn't he? Ahem, here it goes. You may not know it until now, but I love you so much that I am afraid about showing it. Ever since I first saw you in action at the Aerial Obstacle Course the only person that I could ever think about is you. Whenever you are around me my mouth just freezes and I can't speak, anything that I wanted to say to you just cannot be expressed. My lips lock up because my love is so strong-"

"_Amy_." I warned as I snatched away that letter from her hand too. "Respect their privacy, okay?"

"Is it my imagination, or are most of these letters from the Kanto Rangers?" Jacky mused as he idly dug through the pile of letters. Wait, when did he start digging through those without me realising?

"Our Skye is one attractive girl, there's no hiding that!" Amy said excitedly as she hugged me from behind. "She got the looks, the skills, the personality, and she takes no shit from anyone!"

"_Guys_." I lamented in exasperation. "Can you just _knock it off _already?"

"Nope."

"I hate you all."

"What are you going to do with all these letters though?" Rufus asked in curiosity once he finished laughing everything out of his system. I stared at the pile of letters in thought. Rufus is right. What am I going to do with them?

"Uh… do you think anyone would know if I burnt them in secret…?"

"Ouch, that's so cruel."

"What do you expect me to do? Write a response to every single letter? I don't have the time for that."

"Or you could just declare that you already have a boyfriend." Rufus teased while wagging his eyebrows and pointing at himself. The hint is blatantly obvious, but it's plain as day to everyone that Rufus chances are hard stuck at 0%.

Although, his idea does have some merit.

"You did give me a brilliant idea." I nodded slowly while stroking my chin in thought. "Alright, you guys can help spread the word for me. If anyone wants to try and woo me, defeat Falkner in combat first, then we can talk."

There was a collective wince from everyone present.

"Ouch. Aren't you being a little too brutal here, Skye?"

"That's the whole point. I have no interest in pursuing a relationship at this stage of my life." I replied as I gathered the letters. I will just put them in my bunk for now and decide how to deal with them later. Thankfully, I happen to have a plastic bag stored in my locker, so it was easy to carry the pile of letters around.

"Hey little guy, mind helping me out a little?"

I happened to spot a wild pidgey looking for food around the nearby trees when I exited the building. I knelt down and beckoned for it to come closer, which the little guy did after staring at me for a few seconds. I always keep a few Oran berries on me because most flying types love those, and I often treat my own pokemon with some of the berries I have after they did a job well done. It's also very handy in bribing wild flying types to help me do a small favour, like what I'm asking the pidgey to do right now.

"See the grey building over there? Third floor, fifth window from the left, I need you to deliver this bag of letters into that room. Just fly into that room and leave this bag on the floor, and this berry is yours."

The pidgey gave me a happy chirp and immediately took the bag of letters in its talons, but not before plucking away the Oran berry from my hand using its beak. The rest of us watched as the pidgey flew with the bag of letters in hand and quickly disappeared into the bunk that I shared with Amy through the opened window and reemerged from it seconds later, flying off into the distance.

"Hot damn, Bird Whisperer, how on earth did you convince that pidgey to help you? It's _wild_."

"Have you forgotten? I live among birds." I scoffed as the five of us continue to make our way to our next destination within the Ranger camp. "Their likes, dislikes, what makes them tick, I know them all by the back of my hand. Bribing them with food to help me out with a small favour is as easy as breathing to me."

"I would like to see _Falkner _trying to do that."

"I'm sure he could, it's not that hard." I said with a yawn. "You guys should try it out sometimes too. All you need is an Oran berry."

"You sure make it sound so easy, Bird Whisperer." Jacky said doubtfully with a raised eyebrow.

"Call me by that stupid-"

Amy then began to chant non-stop, much to my annoyance.

"Bird Whisperer, Bird Whisperer, Bird Whisper- AH! STOP, SKYE! OKAY OKAY I WAS WRONG JUST STOP TICKLING ME- AH!"

* * *

"Interpol?"

"Some new organisation set up by the PWL." Pyral grumbled while sipping on his cup of coffee. "In any case, they will be coming over here for a visit, permission granted by Lance himself. They are conducting investigations on the Rocket that gave us trouble back at Cherrygrove and the Johto National Park and since we are some of the few people that had direct contact with him, the representatives from the interpol are going to ask us some questions regarding that guy."

"We wrote everything that we know about that guy into our mission reports though?"

"Exactly what I said to the higher ups." Pyral replied with a snort. "But since this is a direct order from the _Champion _himself, we cannot refuse. Still, it's just a short questioning and would probably not take long. I'm just letting you know that there is such a thing happening. Jacky and Amy are volunteering to obtain the security clearance needed for those two. Apparently they both personally know one of the representatives that are coming over."

"What time are they coming over?"

"Not long from now." Pyral replied. "Rehearsals are cancelled for today because us commanders will be having an important meeting, so use this time to take a much needed break. We will go back to having rehearsals first thing tomorrow. Any other questions?"

"Nope."

"Then you are dismissed."

"Alrighty. See ya, boss!"

I left Pyral's office with a skip in my steps and headed for the lounge where I know most of the Rangers that are involved in the rehearsals are currently gathering there to rest, mingle, and generally have fun. I was greeted by rowdy shouts and cheers from the foosball table the moment I entered.

"One more win for the Yellow Squadron!"

"Ah darn it!" Adam yelled. "We were so close too!"

"I know, right?" Rufus lamented. "We can't win with just us two."

"Yo, wassup?" I joined the conversation as I walked up to Adam and Rufus, who were the ones playing foosball with members of the Yellow Squadron right before I came in. From the looks of it, Adam and Rufus got their asses handed to them.

"The Yellow Squadron is the best squadron when it comes to foosball, that's what!" One of the members taunted good naturedly. I looked at that guy in slight curiosity, then back at my squad mates.

"How badly did you guys lose?"

"10-3." Rufus shrugged. "Maybe if Jacky was here he could have evened the odds a little."

"Lemme have a go." I said in excitement as I rolled up my sleeves. "It's been a _looooong _time since I've played foosball. I'm usually not one to boast, but I'm undefeatable at this game back at the 9th Regiment."

"Now _that's _a ballsy claim to make." The Ranger from the Yellow squadron laughed in good fun as he too, prepared for another showdown. "We usually play 2 vs 2 for a foosball table of this size. So, who's your partner?"

"No need for any, I can handle you guys alone." I boasted while crossing my arms in front of my chest. "I don't need an extra pair of hands to show you guys that the Black Squadron reigns supreme in the foosball department."

"Those are big words, lady."

"They won't be if I win. So, in or out?"

"I'm just gonna say this before we start, we are not going easy on you simply because you're a girl."

"Please, it's not like you can beat me even if your entire squadron comes at me together. I'm the reigning queen of foosball back at the 9th Regiment. Ask your friends there if you don't believe me."

"We will see, we will see."

* * *

"To the left, Skye, to the left!"

"Shut up pottymouth! You are distracting me!"

_Pass the ball, do a feint and wait it out… now!_

"SCORE!"

Another loud cheer sounded out from around us when I scored another goal. I quickly checked the score, 8-4. Damn, I had gotten rusty. It's been a long time since anyone has scored more than three goals against me.

The little plastic ball was released into the centre of the foosball table once more, signalling the start of another round. A small crowd had gathered around us by now thanks to all the noise and cheering from our side.

"SHOW EM SKYE! SHOW EM WHAT WE BLACK SQUADRON IS FUCKING MADE OF!"

"Don't shout in my ear, Adam!" I yelled back while my hands were frantically moving across my side of the foosball table, trying to end this match as fast as I could. Do another feint, pass... Nope, the ball got intercepted and now I need to get it back. Wait, they are trying to snipe from across the table! **Ah ha!** I blocked it, now the ball is back in my possession! Do another feint, and… _shoot!_ **_SCORE!_**

"SKYEEE! WE HAVE BROUGHT THE GHOST WHISPERER HERE TO MEET THE BIRD WHISPE-"

The final round had started and I quickly took control of the ball and dribbled it around. Even then, I somehow managed to grab a cushion lying around near me and threw it in the direction of Jacky's voice out of pure reflex when I heard that thrice blasted nickname again.

"I told you many times to **_not _**call me by that damn nickname!"

I made a powerful shot with a sudden flick of my wrist, scoring the final goal and ending the little competition we are having against the Yellow Squadron.

"Hah! Told you guys that I wasn't joking when I said that I am undefeatable at foosball! Who else is next?" I declared as I made a come-get-me motion with my hand. Trying to beat me at _foosball?_ These guys are a lifetime too young to do so.

"Alright, alright, the Yellow Squadron will admit that the Black Squadron reigns supreme in the foosball department." My competitors surrendered with grace, prompting a mixture of cheering and jeers from the crowd around us.

"All hail Skye, the undefeatable foosball queen of Johto's 1st Ranger Regiment!" Rufus cheered before bowing dramatically bowing down in my direction.

"How about the both of us go out on a date to celebrate your victory, Skye?"

Whistles and shouts rang across the room the moment Rufus made his 'confession'. I simply rolled my eyes. Rufus and his antics.

"Sorry Rufus, but nope."

I plainly ignored the "Ooooh" from the crowd that followed after.

"SKYE! OVER HERE!"

Jacky's voice got my attention and I turned my head to search for him. I found him and Amy soon enough. Right beside them are two people that are obviously not from this camp, a tall lanky man and… a little girl?

"Oh, Jacky? Amy too? And who's that?" I asked the moment I made my way over. Jacky quickly introduced us to each other.

"Looker and Velda, the ones that Amy and I had told you about before. They are here on official business as members of the interpol. Looker, Vel, this is Skye. I know you are supposed to meet my boss too but he's not here at the moment. I will go get him. Skye, you mind leading the both of them to Meeting Room Three while I'm at it?"

Ah, so this little girl was the one who had defeated Amy and Jacky back during the Ever Grande Conference. I remember now.

"Sure." I replied readily before greeting our guests. "Nice to meet you, Looker, Velda. I'm Skye."

"Nice to meet you. And please call me Vel." Velda replied on behalf of Looker and her with a sweet smile. Still, isn't she a little too young to be a part of this… interpol thing? Whatever that is. I only know enough to know that it is an international organisation set up by the PWL, so whatever they are doing must be some serious and heavy work. Can this little girl really handle it? She couldn't be over fifteen.

I led the two guests towards Meeting Room Three like what Jacky had suggested. Velda made some small talk with me along the way.

"So, I heard from Jacky that you have a very strong affinity towards flying types?"

Damn it, Amy, Jacky. Stop spreading that blasted nickname to everyone you guys meet.

"Huh? Oh, that. It's not that big of a deal actually. If you have been living alongside flying types for as long as I have you would naturally be able to understand them and get them to listen to you." I tried my best to downplay the so-called "superpower" that I supposedly have. What I can do with flying types is honestly not that big of a deal.

"Honestly, they are just exaggerating things and making a big fuss out of it. My family has been working with flying types for as long as I can remember and we are very accomplished in this field. Anything I did with flying types that my fellow Rangers viewed as impossible, I bet that my father and older brother could do it too."

There, that should do it. Although, from the look on Velda's face, it seems like she is… a little disappointed? Did I read it right?

"Well, I've heard a little about you from Jacky and Amy. Pretty sure we had a brief conversation some time back when you called Jacky and asked him for tips about poison types but I don't think you remembered any of that." I continued the conversation as we made a turn, remembering the hilarious phone call back in the Scramble Room that day.

"What did they call you again? The Ghost Mistress? Nice job beating Jacky and Amy, by the way. I saw the matches, you are skilled."

"Thanks."

"Alright, we are here- Oh, boss, you are here already?"

"Obviously." Pyral drawled from where he was sitting lazily on a chair. He got up and went to shake hands with Looker and Vel and the three of them briefly introduced themselves to each other.

And with that, the questioning started.

* * *

"Scratch it here, yes, here. Underneath her jaw close to the joint area between her jaws and neck. See? Aria is not as scary as it looks, right?"

Like Pyral told me, the questioning didn't take too long. Pyral and I told them everything we know or felt while facing that terrifying Rocket in battle. Looker had gone with Pyral to do some top secret stuff after that, leaving me with our guest, Vel.

After it was made known to Vel that I owned an aerodactyl, it became obvious that she was interested in Aria due to the fact that Aria is a prehistoric pokemon that not many people will have the chance of seeing in person. So, I brought her out to an empty training field to allow the little girl to interact with Aria. Velda still looks a little scared of her, but Aria is really not as scary as she looks, really!

"I can see why they call you the Bird Whisperer. You are really good at what you are good at."

I made a mental note to have a long talk with Jacky and Amy later. They _really _should stop telling others of this stupid nickname of mine!

"I really should go strangle Jacky and Amy later. At this rate the whole world will know me by that stupid nickname."

Velda laughed at my response, her hands still scratching Aria underneath those massive jaws of hers, making Aria purr in delight.

"I can understand. I was once stuck with the nickname of Ghost Mistress. Didn't like it all that much too."

"Oh, yeah. I remember about your banette because Amy kept talking on and on about it. It left quite an impression on me." I said with a grin as the memories from that day resurfaced in my mind. Amy's reactions towards ghosts are always so hilarious. Ah, good times.

Velda fell silent for a short while, as if thinking about something. I let her be, knowing that interacting with an infamous prehistoric pokemon will do that to anyone. It was the same for me when I first got Aria.

"Dolly's actually really friendly too. If Dolly's a male I would name her Casper. Casper the friendly ghost, got a nice ring to it."

My head whipped in her direction, startled. Casper the friendly ghost? Isn't that...

"Casper the… friendly ghost?"

Those words left my mouth even before I could think. Velda turned to look at me as well upon hearing my question, her facial expression a little shocked too.

"Uhm, yes?"

_Casper the friendly ghost._ This is too much of a coincidence. The only way anyone would know about that is if… If… That means Velda, she… _No damn way_. This is fucking _impossible _but- _There's no other explanation!_

"Do you… happen to… Oh fuck this. Are you reincarnated or something?"

My rash behaviour reared its ugly head again when I simply blurted my thoughts out loud. I thought I might have just irreversibly screwed myself up until I saw the expression on Velda's face and suddenly everything just _clicked_.

_She's like me._ She _has _to be like me!

I'm not alone in this world.

* * *

**Name: Skye Bale, 16, Female**

**Affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Staff Sergeant**

**Code Name: Zephyr**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. Pidgeot (Crown), male**

**2\. Gliscor (Glide), male**

**3\. Skarmory (Dia), female**

**4\. Crobat (Beats), male**

**5\. Jumpluff (Cotton), female**

**6\. Dragonite (Tino), female**

**7\. Noivern (Echo), male**

**8\. Emolga, (Emi), female**

**9\. Hawlucha (Hawk), male**

**10\. Sigilyph (Cosmo), female**

**11\. Aerodactyl (Aria), female**

**12\. Masquerain (Heli), male**


	17. Chapter 17- Six out of Seven

_"I don't have time to explain everything. This is my number, I will call you later. We will explain everything we know then."_

_"We?"_

_"Yes, we. There are more than just the two of us in this world. You will see."_

Those were the words Velda told me in private, just before Looker and Pyral came back and interrupted our conversation prematurely. I'm still bewildered even long after she had left, mind swirling with a million thoughts.

"Eh? You are not coming with us?"

"Sorry, I have somewhere to be at. It's kind of a last minute thing." I answered apologetically at Amy's question. Last Parade is already over and we are now having our nights out. Usually, the five of us would go eat dinner together outside camp and simply hang out and chill until we have to book back in. Tonight, however, there is somewhere else that I have to be at.

I need answers.

"To Olivine."

Crown gave a shriek of affirmation before taking off into the air with me on his back. Olivine, that is where Velda had messaged me to go to, saying that it is where people like us are currently gathered. It didn't take long for Crown to bring me there.

"The restaurant two streets away from the lighthouse… left side… Neon sign board…"

I muttered to myself the description of our meeting point that Velda had messaged me earlier while searching for said location from my position in the air. How hard can it be to search for one restaurant so close to Olivine's landmark?

Found it. Right in the middle of the street.

"Ms Bale, right? Please come in."

My first impression when I first touched down was that whoever had reserved a table at this restaurant had to be rich. Like _really _rich. Everything is just so posh and… you get it. Falkner sometimes does bring Ciel and I to enjoy some real expensive stuff because he's a doting older brother but that in itself is still a really rare treat. For someone to reserve a table at such a high-end place for a first meeting with someone they know nothing about, this guy _has _to be rich.

The waitress led me to a private room at the back of the restaurant and opened the door for me. I gave her my thanks as I walked in, suddenly feeling a little out of place at such a posh restaurant for wearing a cap, plain shirt, and jeans. If I had known we would be meeting at such a place I would have worn something nicer. Maybe a fancy dress.

Then again, the number of dresses I have in my wardrobe could be easily counted with a single hand, and none of those are good looking enough in my eyes. I really should give my wardrobe a big update once I have the time. Maybe Amy will be willing to go shopping with me and pick out some dresses? My fashion sense can't be trusted, so it will be nice to have a second opinion whenever I go shopping.

I spotted Velda immediately when I walked in, along with several people that I don't recognise. They are all sitting around a round table with an empty seat reserved just for me. Velda waved at me happily the moment she saw me, gesturing for me to take the empty seat that was positioned beside hers. Our orders were quickly taken and our meals were promptly served. The moment the waiters and waitresses were out of the room and shut the door behind them, leaving us to our own devices, the silence was broken.

"So, she's one of us?" A man with unruly yellow hair asked with a yawn, looking as though he hasn't been sleeping properly for days.

"Isn't it obvious?" Velda retorted before turning to look at me.

"Do you want to introduce yourself? Or do you want me to do it for you?"

"It's fine, I can do it myself." I replied to Velda before turning to face the rest of them and if Velda's words are to be believed, we are all the same.

"Um, my name now is Skye Bale. I'm from Violet City. And before you guys start asking, yes, Bale. That Bale. I'm Falkner's sister."

"Oh, I know Falkner! He's a Gym Leader!" A bespectacled woman with a bob haircut said excitedly as she looked up from her plate. I simply shrugged.

"Yup, that's him."

"You don't have to be so uptight about your family name cos it's not like we will be treating you any differently. It's not really a big deal, all of us here are related to some prominent figures one way or another." The yellow hair man returned my shrug with his own as he pointed to the bespectacled woman from earlier.

"That scatterbrain is Shannon Juniper, niece of Cedric Juniper. Red over there-"

He pointed to a lady with dark red hair that cascades down her shoulder. That shade of red is very rarely seen in Johto.

"Is Nova Labelle, niece of Lysandre. _That _Lysandre of Lysandre Labs. Short stack over here-"

Velda kicked the yellow haired man underneath the table, making him yelp in pain.

"Hey, what's that for?!"

"I **_told _**you to not call me by that name!"

"Velda is the heiress of one of the most ancient families in Hoenn that helped founded the region." Nova supplemented as Volkner and Velda continued to squabble right in front of us. Ignoring them, Nova pointed to a large dark skinned man with an intimidating figure.

"He's Akamu Kahale from Alola. His wife is the inventor of Foldable Space Technology."

"And him?" I pointed to the yellow haired man, who is still squabbling childishly with Velda.

"Oh, he's Volkner. You know, Sunyshore's previous Gym Leader? That's him."

My jaws dropped. A _Gym Leader_. Here, among us?

"_Back_ to the main topic." Volkner emphasised as his argument with Velda came to a temporary close. He turned around to face me.

"I'm just going to ask a simple question. Do you or do you not happen to know why we are here? As in, in a cosmic sense?"

"Like why we were given a second chance at life?" I clarified, and they all nodded. Well, sorry to be them, but I was the one wishing that _they _were the ones with the answers.

"I was wishing that you guys could tell me why."

"Ah crap, another dead end." Volkner lamented as he covered his face with a palm.

"At least we found another. Now there's only one more left. Maybe he or she is the one with the answers." Nova said as if to reassure Volkner, who simply responded with another dramatic sigh.

"How are you so sure that there's only one more left?" I asked, feeling very confused. The rest of them exchanged glances before the stares locked onto Nova, who simply accepted the job of being the one to explain things to me.

"It will take a while to fully explain everything. Just listen with an open mind and don't freak out at what we are going to tell you next, okay?"

* * *

"So… let me get this right. You guys happen to be all part of the interpol-"

"It's _temporarily_ part of the interpol. Right, big guy?"

"Temporary." Akamu nodded in agreement to Volkner's words as he ate his meal. The both of them even toasted to that.

"Just ignore them." Nova added, gesturing for me to go on.

"Right. And you are telling me that Team Rocket is planning a_ region wide_ attack on Johto on this coming National Day-"

"Starting from the Indigo Plateau. Which means you will be involved in some big shit that day because the 1st Ranger Regiment will be there." Volkner said while sipping on his wine glass.

"- and we are all _kept in the dark_ about this?" I asked in disbelief. That explains all the sudden Urban Evacuation Training that we are all subjected to. Everything suddenly made _sense_. The higher ups _knew _about this but didn't think to **_inform _**us?

"There are too many Rockets who have infiltrated into the ranks of the Indigo forces. Anyone around you could be a Rocket, even your best friend. That's why there is a need for such a level of secrecy." Volkner explained while munching on some cheese fries. He took a look at the plate of fries, then offered them to me, which I gladly took before continuing on my tirade.

"And is there _anything _we can do to stop Team Rocket?"

"We are already on it." Velda assured. "It was why Looker and I were there at Indigo Plateau earlier today. The Rocket we were asking about, there's a very high chance he is a Team Rocket Executive, and a very dangerous one too."

"_Executive_. That… kinda put things into perspective." I admitted. Executive. It is a known rank within the Rockets that is only just below those of the Leader, which I know is Giovanni thanks to my foreknowledge, but have a severe lack of evidence to accuse him of.

Wait a minute.

"Then you guys should know that Giovanni-"

"Is the leader of Team Rocket. Yes, we know. The Indigo League is already doing something about this." Volkner sighed before taking another handful of fries and putting them in his mouth.

"Then is there _anything _that I can do? To uh, _help?_"

"Unfortunately, no." Volkner's reply was swift and decisive. "Not without raising unneeded suspicions from people who we don't want to meddle with our secrets. Does anybody else know about your status?"

"No."

"Same for us. We prefer to bring this secret to our graves. So until we find a more… explainable reason for us to casually meet without raising any suspicions, we will have to pretend that we never met you and vice versa. Other than short stack, of course, cos you guys had already met for work related purposes. But if you want to help… Just be prepared for anything. As a Flying Specialist, I can already imagine you being tasked to constantly ferry people here and there without rest on the big day."

"I will keep that in mind." I nodded before asking that burning question at the back of my mind.

"And about that… prophecy thing. There's one more of us, and that person is very likely from Kanto? Not only that, all of you suspect that he's Grimsley's missing son?"

Shannon nodded in reply.

"Yes, that's what we think because it will fit. All of us here are born with an unnatural affinity to a certain pokemon typing and Grimsley noted that his son had the same affinity for dark types. You can feel it, right? How odd we are as compared to the residents of this world. There is a certain type of pokemon that we are each naturally more inclined to than the rest. You should have already figured out Vel's affinity, right? Hers is with ghosts. Yours is with-"

"Flying types." I whispered, suddenly realising that maybe the nickname of Bird Whisperer that I disliked so much may have some grain of truth in it. Maybe the ease in which I tame and interacted with flying types isn't entirely due to my father's and Falkner's teachings. Maybe it's because I really do have something special within me that endears me to flying types.

"And it will fit. In the prophecy, there are seven titles given to seven individuals, and we have all figured out our respective titles. The only two left are _Shadow, Vanquisher of Darkness_ and _Flier, Symbol of Courage_. We have long since figured out that the last word of each title refers to a pokemon typing, and it is obvious which typings these two titles are referencing to. Since your affinity is with flying types, then you are the Flier."

"Symbol of _Courage_." I nearly spat in disdain. "I'm far from courageous. What an unfitting title."

"Regardless, that's the title we are given, if we are to believe in this stupid Seven Sages prophecy." Volkner said without a care in the world while carrying on with his meal.

"And you guys are certain that Shadow has to be from Kanto?"

"Because each of us here comes from a different region that made up the PWL, and we were lacking anyone from Kanto or Johto. Your existence cements that fact even more, that now the only person we are lacking is the one from Kanto, the holder of the Shadow title."

"I personally do not want to have anything to do with this." Akamu spoke up. "But at the rate things are evolving, I have a feeling that we might not have a choice. Prophecies are not something to be taken lightly in this world, especially one made from a powerful psychic. The PWL relies an awful lot on prophecies due to its accurate foretelling properties. The reason is to better maintain peace across the world. If a prophecy from_ 500 years ago_ had accurately foretold our existence today and all of us had somehow met with each other without meaning to, then there is definitely a larger force at work here behind the scenes."

"And you say this is a prophecy regarding the Legend of the Seven Sages from the Unova region?" I turned to Nova, whose current job happens to be a historian. Nova nodded and so did Shannon.

"It is a bedtime story every Unovan will know. In times of crisis the Seven Sages will rise up and save the world, it is that kind of cliche tale." Shannon added. "But… to think that _I _might be one of those Sages the legends talked about…"

Shannon shivered towards the end of her words.

"I'm no sage. I don't even look like one." I replied immediately.

"Do _we _look like sages to you?" Volkner countered and… he has a point. I decided to ask my next question.

"And then the other prophecy, the end of the world one?"

Volkner's reply is as swift as ever.

"Just keep it to yourself. Nobody outside of the Pillars, high ranking world leaders, or other authorised personnel are let in on it. We don't want to incite a mayhem of an international scale."

"So that means that Falkner would know about it?"

"Yes, he does."

"Okay…" I trailed off, my mind still trying to wrap around the idea of having to take two different _prophecies _seriously. Seriously, prophecies? That… I don't know? Voodoo magic thingy… or _something? _What _really _is a prophecy anyway?

"So… what are we going to do now?"

"I figured that no matter what happens from here onwards, we could at least keep in contact. At the very least, we won't be lonely. Anything new that we find out, we could share with each other." Velda suggested.

"And in the short term? The Rocket problem?"

"Just leave it to the interpol. _Technically_, you are not supposed to know about this, especially with your clearance level. I don't want people to be asking questions that we have no answers for." Volkner replied, and I reluctantly agreed. As of now, there's really nothing on my end that I can do other than to be mentally prepared for what is to come.

"So, really _no one _comes to mind? No notable Dark Specialists you have met? Anyone with weird affinities for dark types?" Volkner carried on the conversation seeing as everyone else had gone silent.

"I only ever met two notable Dark Specialists. One of them is in the same squadron as me and he's definitely not who we are looking for." I said in thought as I pondered over this issue. Yeah, there's only two Dark Specialists that really stood out in my mind.

"And the other?" Nova asked.

"The Rocket you guys were investigating. He's really scary. Every terrifying quality you can find in dark types, he brings it out." I admitted. "But there's no way we will know for sure cos, well, he's a _Rocket_. I only ever met him twice and both times he was trying to kill me. And if he really is like us, why will he be siding with the Rockets?"

"That might be bec-"

"Vel. That is _confidential _information." Volkner cut Velda off before she could continue. Velda frowned at Volkner's words.

"She's one of us."

"And _not _part of the interpol. I know I'm not the most qualified person to say this but sometimes, certain rules _have _to be adhered to." Upon seeing how Velda is about to make another argument, he quickly carried on. "_Especially_ for matters of _grave importance_ like this. Besides, no offence, Skye, our similar statuses aside, we only just met you."

"It's fine. I understand." I brushed it off, understanding where Volkner is coming from and the unsaid message in his words.

"Then if Skye joins the interpol?" Velda pressed on.

"You need to first convince Looker and I have to remind you, he's not like us." Volkner patiently explained things to Velda although I can tell that his patience is getting a little strained.

"What do I need to do to join the interpol anyway? Assuming I want to." I asked in curiosity, catching their attention immediately.

"Prove yourself to be uniquely useful. Prove to everyone that you have a unique skill set that only you have and nobody else is superior to you in that regard." Akamu easily summed up the answers that I need before looking at me curiously.

"You are a Ranger, right? Come to think about it, Looker could do with having a Ranger on the team. Being a Ranger would entail having a very unique set of skills that the interpol would need in the future."

"I specialise in rescue operations." I added.

"Another plus point for you if you want to join the interpol. We don't have anyone with your specialisation yet in the interpol." Akamu nodded.

"For how long? How long have you been a Ranger?" Shannon asked in curiosity.

"About… four years now?" I said after some thought. "I also won myself quite a number of medals and accolades that not many Rangers can boast…? Outstanding Ranger Award, Outstanding Airman Award…? Does that help?"

"I will flip through your profile when I have the time. If you _really _are interested in joining the shitshow and you _really _have the skills the interpol needs, I will introduce you to Looker." Volkner said with another yawn. "Ah dammit. Why am I suddenly doing the recruitment for him? This wasn't part of the deal."

"Just suck it up, Hokage wannabe."

"Still taller than you, short stack."

Another audible painful kick could be heard from underneath the table.

"Well, in any case it's nice to meet you, Skye!" Shannon said excitedly. "I personally hope that you can join us, actually, even if Volkner and Akamu don't want to stay on after the Rocket crisis is over."

"Huh? Why?" I asked curiously as I glanced at the two men present. Volkner simply shrugged.

"I'm retired."

"Volkner and I do not have any pleasant memories or experiences when it comes to working with authorities, especially with any League." Akamu elaborated. "We are just here to help because the situation this time is really an unprecedented case and Looker really looks like he needs all the help he can get."

"So Looker's your boss?"

"He's the director of the interpol." Akamu explained. "But yes, you can say that he's our boss. On Looker's end, he answers directly to the PWL."

"Genuine word of advice before you start having weird thoughts, _do not_ tangle with the upper echelons of any League, especially with the PWL. Take it from someone who's been through that kind of shit." Volkner droned as he continued with his meal, effectively killing the mood in an instant.

"And yet you're here as an _ex _Gym Leader because…?"

"Because, _reasons_."

"... Right." I said slowly, knowing that Volkner dodged that topic on purpose and probably does not want me to continue prodding. Okay, anything related to any League or PWL is a landmine when it comes to Volkner. He hates dealing with authorities. Got it.

"Ignore the Hokage wannabe, he's simply an ass. Even said so himself." Velda scoffed, making it loud and clear for Volkner to hear. Volkner simply rolled his eyes and continued his meal.

"In case you've forgotten, _I'm _the one paying for your meal, short stack."

"In case you've forgotten, _I'm _a Vera. My family is loaded. Your threat means jack shit to me."

"Can you guys stop flaunting your wealth in front of me? Pokemon Researchers don't earn much." Shannon stated as she sent them an annoyed glare.

"Oh, they do. If you are on the level of, let's say, Professor Oak." Volkner added helpfully.

"Do I _look _like a Professor Oak to you?"

"Then go be one. If I can become a Gym Leader through my own power you can be the next Professor Oak if you put your mind into it."

"I guess I have it the easiest. My uncle is super rich and _loves _to shove money into my bank account. I lost count on how many zeroes there is a long time ago." Nova purposefully mentioned that tidbit of information in a carefree manner as she ate her meal.

"Lucky you."

"Lucky me." Nova agreed. "Must have accumulated some good karma in my previous life, _unlike you guys."_

"You know, given Volkner's crappy personality, that will explain _how _he ended up here as a nameless orphan." Velda wasted no time in taking a jab at Volkner, who tried to swat at her head with his hand but Velda had dodged it right away and childishly stuck her tongue at him right after.

"I was a good human being in my previous life, I swear! Why aren't I as rich?!" Shannon whined.

"Girl, your uncle is _Cedric Juniper_. He _definitely _is loaded."

"Not that I'm complaining because uncle is a nice person, but it certainly doesn't _feel _like he's rich."

"At least we are lucky enough to either make it rich or born rich, so that's something. Maybe whatever higher beings up there were kind enough to give us some sort of head start before dumping us here in this crazy world without any warning." Volkner talked between mouthfuls of food. "Going by that weird logic, how rich do you think that Shadow guy or girl would be?"

"He's Grimsley's son. That alone will make him rich." Akamu helpfully pointed out.

"_If_ he's ever found." Velda reminded us again just as helpfully.

"But like Volkner, he might have made it big on his own too, in whatever area he chose to specialise in. Look at us, we all somehow made some sort of stir in our respective regions, big or small. Maybe the same applies for Shadow as well." Nova mentioned offhandedly.

"That's… a good point." Volkner conceded. "I will have Jarvis check up on if there are any males in their twenties who made it big in Kanto. Either way, looking at us now and the circumstances we were individually dropped into at the start, it's not really a far stretch to say that this Shadow guy must have made some sort of impact on the world as well."

Throughout it all, only one word really caught my attention.

"Jarvis?"

"Volkner and I both happened to name our porygon-z Jarvis. It was how we found each other by accident." Velda explained.

"She copied me. I got my Jarvis way before she did." Volkner pointed a finger at Velda as he said that.

"Shut up, you annoying asshole."

"Hey, watch your tone when talking to your betters. I'm an ex Gym Leader!"

"So? You said it yourself, you are _retired_."

"Are they always… like this?" I asked lamely as I pointed to the pair that had started squabbling again. Akamu simply shrugged while Nova rolled her eyes. Shannon just laughed nervously.

"It's just how they get along with each other. They are actually pretty good friends as far as I can tell."

Looking at them still quarreling away, I certainly do hope so.

* * *

**Name: Skye Bale, 16, Female**

**Affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Staff Sergeant**

**Code Name: Zephyr**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. Pidgeot (Crown), male**

**2\. Gliscor (Glide), male**

**3\. Skarmory (Dia), female**

**4\. Crobat (Beats), male**

**5\. Jumpluff (Cotton), female**

**6\. Dragonite (Tino), female**

**7\. Noivern (Echo), male**

**8\. Emolga, (Emi), female**

**9\. Hawlucha (Hawk), male**

**10\. Sigilyph (Cosmo), female**

**11\. Aerodactyl (Aria), female**

**12\. Masquerain (Heli), male**


	18. Chapter 18- Move Out

"Do I look good? Is my uniform ironed out properly? Is-"

"Amy. You look fine."

"But Skye! It's the parade! A once per year thing! And who knows if we would ever get the chance to be part of it again!"

Amy ignored me as she went back to groom herself in front of the mirror in the restroom, leaving me to wait for her in uneasy boredom nearby, leaning against a wall. Truth to be told, right now, the parade is the furthest thing from my mind.

If what my fellow reincarnated souls in the interpol said is true, then there will be war at Indigo Plateau today. Just a few hours later we will be waging a war against Team Rocket and there is still no news from the higher ups about this.

The main fighting force of Indigo is still unprepared. The higher ups may have gotten wind of what is to come, but foot soldiers like us are still blissfully ignorant about what is going to happen later.

"Skye?"

"Yeah?" I looked up after hearing my name being called, only to see Amy staring at me in concern.

"Are you okay? You look kinda down."

"Just a little tired from having to wake up so early for the parade." I crafted a convenient excuse on the spot, surprising even myself for how smooth that lie came out from my mouth.

"If you say so…" Amy's stare lingered on me for a moment, obviously not fully believing what I just said.

"Have a bad feeling, that's all." I admitted what I could tell her when her gaze continues to fix itself on me, the type of gaze that will not avert itself until I spill whatever is on my mind.

"I just… It just feels like something bad is going to happen later."

"You are thinking too much." Amy tried her best to reassure me as she placed her hands on my shoulders. "Everything will be fine later, we rehearsed so many times just for this day!"

Thing is, it's not the parade that I am queasy about, but what I know is going to happen during the parade later. What makes me uncomfortable is that I cannot divulge what I know to anyone else, because of _confidentiality_. The higher ups had supposedly already taken action for what is to come later and I am supposed to put my faith in them that they can handle it even without the help of us lower grunts.

For some reason, the thought of it makes me uneasy. What made it worse is that I have no one to confide to if I don't want to reveal the shared secret that all six of us reincarnated souls share.

I am starting to feel sick in the stomach for not being able to warn any of my comrades about the incoming disaster. We will be swept up in it later, and not only could we not do a thing to prepare, we are still blissfully ignorant of the danger lurking about.

Amy and I exited the restroom soon enough, and when she was called over by the other Rangers that we passed by, leaving me alone, my pokegear rang.

My eyebrows arched slightly when I saw who was calling me. It's Volkner.

"Hello?"

_"Hey McWings, hope I'm not disturbing you. Is it convenient for us to talk right now?"_

"McWings? What kind of stupid nickname is that?" I could not help but complain when I heard it as my eyes scanned the area near me. Nobody is close enough to be privy of our conversation. "But yeah, nobody is around at the moment. What is it?"

_"Just checking up on you and telling you to relax if you happened to be all jittery about what will happen later. Aren't I a nice friend?"_

"Yeeeeaah. Reeeeal nice." It took all of my self-control to not jump in alarm. What is he? A mind reader? I don't even know him that well. Or am I that easy to read even from countless miles away?

"Well, thanks." I told Volkner truthfully before asking another question. "You coming over to Indigo Plateau?"

_"Will be teleporting there within the next five minutes. How's it looking at the moment? Like, what do you see in the Indigo Plateau right now?"_

My eyes quickly swept through the area of the stadium which I am at. From where I am, I can see the spectators flooding into the stadium. All of them are excited for today, feeling especially patriotic for our nation's founding.

No matter how I search for the signs, there's nothing that could clue me in that this location would be on the receiving end of a terrorist act soon.

"Honestly? It feels normal. If you didn't warn me beforehand of the kind of shit that will go down later I wouldn't have suspected a thing."

_"Good. Keep it that way. We will be screwed if Giovanni somehow got wind of our plans. The League did all they could to not draw his attention, all for today."_

"We will be removing them for good, yeah?" I asked, feeling a little nervous and perhaps afraid. I know that the League took extreme precautions to protect the spectators today but I still cannot help but feel that it still isn't enough.

Even my squadron wasn't warned of the incoming attack, and we are one of the best Ranger squadrons in Indigo.

_"That is the whole point."_

Guess Volkner isn't willing to divulge any more details. No point digging further then.

"Looking forward to it. So, any other heads up for what I may need to expect later? So that I could, you know, prepare?"

_"You will probably be very busy saving people."_

"Very helpful of you."

_"Why, what else were you expecting when you are a Ranger?"_

"Point."

_"And oh, Mewtwo will be there at Indigo Plateau later too. Just saying."_

Mew- **WHAT?!**

"AND YOU DIDN'T BOTHER TO TELL ME ABOUT THIS **EARLIER?!**"

_"Just remembered about it." _

The cheek of him- This is MEWTWO we are talking about! A _legendary pokemon! _And it will be _here _at Indigo Plateau later?!

"MEWTWO, VOLKNER! **MEWTWO!**"

_"Yeah, yeah, I know. Why else do you think **I'm **heading to the Indigo Plateau too?"_

"You-! Argh!" I stomped my foot in frustration before taking a deep breath to calm myself down. "Whatever. Anything else that I really should know?"

_"That's it, really." _A yawn could be heard from the other end of the line, as if Volkner wasn't the least bit bothered that **_Mewtwo _**would be trying to kill us later. Is he really that confident that the League can suppress Mewtwo? In that case, fine. I will leave them to do their job.

On my end, I will do my job properly as a Ranger as well.

"If that is all I need to end the call now. I need to head off and join my squadron soon." I said when I spotted Amy waving me to quickly come over from where she is now. Guess we need to fall in soon.

_"Got it. Stay safe and help us keep an eye out on any anomalies. If you aren't sure who to inform, then just inform me directly. Jarvis will keep an eye out for any messages from your end too."_

"Roger that. See ya."

_"See you."_

With that, Volkner hung up the call. It was just in time as Amy beckoned me to come over to rejoin the contingent. When we returned to our allocated resting area which is a humongous room big enough to house all five Ranger squadrons and still have space left over. Pyral is already there waiting for us.

"I'll keep this short because I'm especially busy today. I'm going to conduct a force prep right now, everything out."

Looks were exchanged within our squadron. Other than our uniform, our standard attire consists of a Ranger pouch we wore around our utility belt. Within it is everything we need to conduct our usual job and more. Everytime after we finish a mission it's our duty and responsibility to replace whatever items that we had used in our previous mission at the earliest possible time. To always be prepared is the very basic aspect of being a Ranger.

But today we are taking part in a parade, we are not on duty to rescue people. Naturally, there is no need to ensure that everything we need for a standard rescue mission is in our pouch in such a situation.

At least, if I do not happen to come across confidential insider information I would have this line of thought. But considering that Mewtwo would be crashing the party later, there is a very real need to ensure that our pouch is fully equipped and packed with all the necessary standard issued items and more.

Despite the strange looks exchanged among us, we all immediately did as Pyral ordered and laid out all the items in our pouch out on the floor in front of us, arranged in a set and predetermined order that we have long since memorised when we were still a lowly recruit that had just joined the Rangers. Pyral's keen eyes quickly swept across the items we laid out in front of him before giving a satisfactory nod.

"Good, you guys at least have the decency to be prepared at all times."

"What's the big deal, boss? It isn't like you to conduct a force prep _right before_ a parade like this."

Pyral's reply to Adam's question is a silent glare that dared him to further challenge his authority. Adam wisely kept his mouth shut and his head down after spotting it. Pyral usually does not like to put on airs or use his rank to force people to submission, but that doesn't mean that he minds using it when the situation calls for it.

"Look around you."

Upon Pyral's words, we took a quick look around us. It's not just the Black Squadron, every other squadron that is participating in the parade are all suddenly conducting a force prep under the supervision of their respective commanders. It is at this moment that the heavy feeling resting at the bottom of my gut eased a little, because if what I guessed is right, our commanders are in the know of what is to come and are preparing us for the worst.

"So we are not the only ones?" Jacky muttered under his breath, but still audible enough for us to hear him.

"There is something you are not telling us. Something big is going to happen." Rufus stated, his usual goofy persona gone. A dramatic goof he may be, but there's a good reason why Rufus is a senior member of the 1st Ranger Regiment. If for whatever reasons that Pyral and Jacky are both unable to command our squadron during missions, he's the unofficial leader that the rest of us will defer to.

"Boss…?" Amy whispered hesitantly.

Pyral remained silent as he stared at us, his facial expression and body language giving nothing away. In the end, the silence was broken when his emboar returned, carrying a large crate of essential items with it.

"Stock up. I want everyone to be in Full Battle Order, no questions."

A look of surprise was sported by the entire squadron, but we have no time to question further because a bell rang within the waiting area we are at, signalling to us that there is only twenty minutes left to the start of the parade.

The standard number and type of items in our pouch are usually in accordance with the Standard Battle Order. Full Battle Order is very rarely used unless we are embarking on an extremely dangerous mission.

When we are in Full Battle Order, the number and type of items we bring along increases drastically. While the increase in baggage does not affect us in the slightest due to the fact that our pouches are made using Foldable Space Technology, a type of technology that defies all laws of physics and allows bags and pouches to store large quantity of items that exceeds its physical volume while keeping the maximum weight you carry to only of the weight of the bag itself. Thus, having too many items in your bag or pouch would also mean taking more time to rummage within it to take out the item you need. To Rangers who are out on missions, the difference of a few seconds can sometimes mean the difference of life and death. We need to be familiar with what we have on us, how to find them, and how to take the least possible time to fish out the item we need out of our doraemon-ish pouch.

Hence, Standard Battle Order is the preferred arrangement the Rangers defaulted to for regular missions. Most Rangers would never have the chance to gear up to the Full Battle Order unless they are taking part in an extremely difficult mission or are a part of the 1st Regiment.

The silent tension continued to hang over our heads as we silently took the required items from the crate emboar had brought for us in order for us to be equipped in Full Battle Order. Within three minutes, we are all fully equipped and all of our gear is repacked into our respective pouches.

Just as we thought that this was the end of it, Pyral's arcanine made its appearance as it pulled a wagon into the area and rejoined us. In it are the state of the art combat attire that even Rangers of our calibre rarely had the chance to use.

"They are of your sizes. Suit up."

"Aren't we supposed to be in the parade in standard attire?" Jacky cannot help but ask, and his question is backed up by silent nods by the rest of the squadron.

"Higher ups changed their minds."

We are fools if we accepted that explanation. Something is obviously wrong and Pyral is not really making any effort to conceal this fact. I have an inkling of what is going to happen and a part of me is really hoping that Pyral would reveal it to the rest of the squadron. It would ease the burden within me and I am sure Pyral would have felt the same.

Sadly, Pyral's lips are tightly sealed.

"Sir-"

"I'm not entertaining any questions. At least, not right now. Suit up, Rangers. You have one minute."

We didn't dare to dally upon hearing that command. We immediately picked out the combat attire that was obviously prepared specifically for us. It's not hard to differentiate whose attire is whose because our codenames are sewn on it. These attires are obviously prepared for us in advance, for members of the Indigo 1st Ranger Regiment.

We immediately wore the protective equipment issued to us over our uniforms. All around us, our fellow 1st Regiment Rangers are also doing the same. None of the commanders are giving any room for us to try and clarify the doubts in our minds because we do not have the time to do so. In about fifteen minutes, the parade would officially start. The Indigo Police Force would be the first to strut their stuff, followed by us, then the STAR forces. We are all part of the opening ceremony.

Then at ten minutes before the start of the parade, we were asked to fall into formation immediately with General Wendell Hartatter, the man overseeing the entire Indigo Ranger Force, overwatching us. By the time a minute had passed, he had already made us recite the Rangers' Creed and our rules of engagement at the top of our lungs, reminding us of our duties as Rangers and emphasising that _anything _could happen at _any time_ and we should _always _be prepared.

By then, every single Ranger present knew that something big is up. If the _General _himself is here doing and saying all of these, then something is going to happen. No ifs, buts, or maybes.

"No fucking wonder they suddenly squeezed in the urban evacuation training out of nowhere. The geezers knew something would be coming up _here_, **_today_**, and they couldn't be bothered to tell us about it until _now_."

Adam's quiet complaint went unacknowledged, but that doesn't mean that the rest of us who were standing at attention around him didn't hear him.

"Rangers!"

**"Yes sir!"**

"I cannot hear you!"

**"SIR YES SIR!"**

"Who are we ?!"

**"We are the Rangers, sir!"**

"What is our duty?!"

**"To protect the peace between humans and pokemon, sir!"**

"WHAT DO WE DO?!"

**"We save lives, sir!"**

"Which regiment are you from, Rangers?!"

**"First Ranger Regiment, sir!"**

"What does it mean to be Rangers of the First Ranger Regiment?"

**"WE ARE THE BEST OF THE BEST, SIR!"**

"Good! Listen up, Rangers! I am giving all of you your mission briefing, right here, right now! This is not a drill, I repeat! This is **NOT **a drill! The League have credible intel that Team Rocket is targeting the celebration right at this moment! There will be chaos! There will be war! Not just here, but all across Johto! AM I CLEAR?!"

Shocked gasps and murmurs broke out, but we were quickly silenced when the General barked at us once again.

"AM I CLEAR?!"

**"SIR YES SIR!"**

Your mission is simple! Work with each other to protect and evacuate the stadium of all innocent bystanders! I know this is sudden, I know none of you woke up this morning expecting to embark on such a mission right on National Day, but WE ARE THE RANGERS! Saving lives is our job, **AM I CLEAR?!**"

**"SIR YES SIR!"**

A projector that someone had brought in projected the floor plan of the Indigo Plateau Stadium for all of us to see. They are all colour coded in accordance to the colours of our respective squadrons.

"Memorise this image and burn it into your minds! The sectors that each of your squadrons are in charge of are colour coded according to your squadron's colour! The seating capacity of the stadium is 100,000, and I want all civilians in the yellow and green sectors to be evacuated to Area LD152, and civilians within the other sectors to be evacuated to Area LD155 within twenty minutes the moment we are deployed for the parade, AM I CLEAR?!"

**"SIR YES SIR!"**

Area LD152 and LD155 are areas within the Indigo Plateau among many others that are reserved for usage during times of emergency. Every town and city in Indigo would have such demarcated areas for military use in times of emergency. As Rangers, we naturally know where the areas are. It is our job to familiarise ourselves with the locations of such areas closest to where we are posted to.

"I will assume overall command for this operation, the Kanto and Johto Second Ranger Regiments will also lend us their assistance! Leave the maintenance of public order to the police, if any battles break out leave them to the STAR forces! Our one and only job is to save lives. Just work with each other like we had practiced in our simulations and focus on our mission, AM I CLEAR?!"

**"SIR YES SIR!"**

"Usage of lethal force is allowed but not recommended unless lives are at stake. Do not panic, do not falter, and at all times remember our duty, because **we are the Rangers!** AM I CLEAR?!"

**"SIR YES SIR!"**

"Good! I know that you guys are confused, I know that you guys need answers, and I promise you that you will get them once this entire crisis is over! I know we are asking too much from all of you, but you are the best of the best that Indigo has! Only YOU can do what the others cannot! Your commanders and I cannot defend the civilians from the Rockets alone! WHO'S WITH ME?!"

"I am, Sir!" Commander Pyral stood forward with a salute and reported for mission ready. His action was immediately followed up by Commander Sophia.

"Commander of Johto Black Squadron, 1st Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Pyral Furnes, ready for deployment, Sir!"

"Commander of Johto Yellow Squadron, 1st Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Sophia Nate, awaiting your orders, Sir!"

"Commander of Kanto Blue Squadron, 1st Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Kelvin Surge, reporting for duty, Sir!"

"Commander of Kanto Red Squadron, 1st Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Aaron Ridge, I'm with you, Sir!"

"Commander of Kanto Green Squadron, 1st Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Colin Whitestone, ready to strike, Sir!"

As if inspired by our commanders' dedication to the Rangers' creed that we had sworn to uphold on the very first day we were welcomed into the force, Rangers around me started to do the same. It's like the severity of the emergency suddenly dawned on us and that a spell had been broken. Right now, it doesn't matter which region we came from or which region had exploited who. We are Rangers from the Indigo Ranger Force and protecting humans and pokemon is our duty.

So that's what we will do.

"Kanto Blue Squadron, 1st Regiment, Master Sergeant Liam Davis, ready to save lives, Sir!"

"Johto Black Squadron, 1st Regiment, Sergeant First Class Adam Clive, fucking ready for deployment, Sir!"

"Kanto Red Squadron, 1st Regiment, Master Sergeant Alice Lovell, all set and ready to go, Sir!"

Jacky, Rufus, Adam, Amy also all started to report for mission ready as everyone followed our commanders' example, ready to save who we had pledged to save when we took the Rangers' Creed on the very first day we stepped into the Rangers Academy.

And so, I stood forward with my fellow Rangers, feet together and at attention with my right hand saluting my General.

"Johto Black Squadron, 1st Regiment, Staff Sergeant Skye Bale, ready to reach for the skies, Sir!"

* * *

The moment we reported for mission ready the General didn't waste any time on any other trivial matters. There are only minutes left before we are being deployed for mission under the guise of attending the parade. We were all dismissed and being told to report to our respective commanders immediately, who were already waiting for us.

"You have a lot to explain after this is all over, boss." Jacky commented.

"I know." Pyral agreed the moment we fell in and stood at attention. Our pokemon were already released and stood by our side in an orderly manner, already in mission mode and ready for the mission briefing.

"The General had already briefed you about the main parameters of the mission so I will cut to the chase. First thing, whatever fancy formations we rehearsed during the parade rehearsals, _forget about it._ The moment we enter, all we have to do is to go to our allocated sector and evacuate the civilians present. By then, the police would have already removed any known Rockets that had slipped into the audience stands but just be prepared for anything. Assist the other squadrons if need be, clear?"

"Yes sir!"

Pyral cleared his throat before summarising the mission for us.

"As you know, the Indigo Stadium is one of the largest stadiums in the world with a seating capacity of 100,000. Not only that, because of the nature of the event today, it is fully packed. This is a scenario where we will be conducting forcible extraction and evacuation in an urban setting. Expect confusion and resistance from the crowd and run through in your minds the SOP for urban evacuation. There is a high chance that Team Rocket is involved. Expect contact with them. Leave the fights and apprehending of Rockets to STAR. Leave the maintenance of public order to the police. Likewise, they will leave the rescuing to us Rangers. They do their thing, we do ours."

Pyral quickly ran us down on the parameters of the mission. We only have a few minutes to get ready before we have to deploy. There is a big screen in the room where we are at, showing us the situation outside. From the corner of my eye, I could tell from the screen that the parade had already officially started. The crowd cheered hysterically when the Indigo Police Force made their appearance. It's an admittedly grand entrance with the way they are doing it.

"The General had already briefed you about it but I will go through it again. Usage of lethal force is not recommended unless you happen to be up against Rockets for some weird reason and even then, it's only strictly for self-defence. You will see Thirteen Pillars from other regions on the scene as well. They are here on Lance's request. Aid them if they request for it. Otherwise, leave them alone to do their job and stay away from whatever or whoever they may be fighting against. Now, comms check."

We all quickly did a comms check as Pyral requested. Only eight seconds was needed, the fastest timing we ever achieved.

Back on the screen, the police force are doing a nice job strutting their stuff. There is a fancy display of a mock exercise taking place right in the stadium itself. According to the narration from the emcees, 'terrorists' had appeared right in the audience stands itself and now it is up to the Indigo Police Force to identify and neutralise the threat before damage is done. As one, members of the police force suddenly descended into the audience seats itself through teleportation and quickly arrested the 'terrorists' sitting among the civilians and knocked them out, not giving them a chance to retaliate or resist.

As quickly as they arrived via Teleport, the police force disappeared just as quick with their captured targets. The entire duration of the demonstration of the mock exercise didn't take more than ten seconds.

Meanwhile, the emcee of the celebration diverted the audience's attention by talking about how these arrested terrorists are stage actors planted among the audiences for the sole purpose of this year's performance by the Police Force, saying that the planning committee had planned such a different arrangement this year in order to give the audiences a much more realistic and interactive experience of how our law enforcers go about doing their duties.

The explanation was met with a big round of applause from the crowd, who were all convinced by the explanation and heaped praises of the efforts the Police Force had put into this year's performance. The crowd is convinced that these 'terrorists' are mere stage actors, but after hearing what we were just briefed us about, we all knew better.

Chances are, these so-called stage actors are _real _terrorists. They must be Rockets who had slipped into the stadium and blended themselves into the crowd. This must be what Pyral meant when he said that the police would have removed any known Rockets among the audience by the time we entered the stadium.

Upon seeing this, I cannot help but be impressed at how the Indigo is handling the situation. Without alarming the crowd about the danger, they had swiftly removed a significant threat from the stadium live on TV without inciting a mass panic.

At the same time, it also hammered the point that the threat General Hartatter spoke about is very, _very _real.

My attention was brought back to the present when Pyral's voice droned on.

"Expect for communication breakdown to happen even with your comms on because everything will be chaotic. You might find that you will be on your own at some point but do not panic. Use your own professional judgement to make the best decision possible. If you have no idea what is the best decision, remember the Ranger creed and our mission. Use it as a guideline. Save as many as you can and evacuate the civilians in our allocated sector to Area LD155. Stay around the stadium and work with the other Indigo forces and you will be fine. Above all, we just need to do our best and trust that the STAR and police can quell the unrest as fast as they can while we are at it. Questions?"

We all shook our heads. Pyral heaved a sigh before giving us one of his rare faint smiles.

"One more thing." Pyral said before he surprised us with a salute.

"Just in case I will never have the chance to say this, I'm honoured to be your commanding officer of the Black Squadron, Rangers. You guys are the finest Rangers I ever had the honour of leading."

"Oi, boss, that doesn't sound very auspicious." Adam said with a frown. His sentiments are shared by all of us.

"Take it or leave it." Pyral snorted before his face turned serious once more. Back on screen, the police had already taken their leave among the applause the crowd had showered them with. Now, it's our turn to continue with the parade, or more like, bringing it to a premature end.

"Alright, fall in, look sharp. It's our turn to continue the show." Pyral commanded as our pokemon stood by our side, raring to go.

"Black Squadron, prepare to move out!"

* * *

**Name: Skye Bale, 16, Female**

**Affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Staff Sergeant**

**Code Name: Zephyr**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. Pidgeot (Crown), male**

**2\. Gliscor (Glide), male**

**3\. Skarmory (Dia), female**

**4\. Crobat (Beats), male**

**5\. Jumpluff (Cotton), female**

**6\. Dragonite (Tino), female**

**7\. Noivern (Echo), male**

**8\. Emolga, (Emi), female**

**9\. Hawlucha (Hawk), male**

**10\. Sigilyph (Cosmo), female**

**11\. Aerodactyl (Aria), female**

**12\. Masquerain (Heli), male**


	19. Chapter 19- Erupt

"AND NEXT UP, WE HAVE!** THE RANGERS!"**

The applause sounded. The crowd roared. The stadium shook. The entire nation is watching and waiting for us to make our grand entrance.

"Alright, remember the plan! We move out the moment the gates are opened!" Pyral barked, getting our attention immediately. It's not just us, the other squadrons around us are also getting into position, ready to move out and evacuate the audiences at a moment's notice.

I'm riding on Crown, who is standing regally on the ground with his wings tucked. That will change the moment the gates are opened. I have no doubt he will take off as soon as he sees a single gap between those heavy metal gates.

"Boss? Is the gate supposed to open anytime soon?"

"I'm checking in with Command." Pyral confirmed as he radioed a message to Command, only to end up with a frown on his face.

He ended up shouting his queries over to Lieutenant Colonel Sophia of the Yellow Squadron, who is at another end of the room.

"Sophia! What's going on?!"

"Your comms are down too?!"

Another shout came in from somewhere within the room.

"This is Red Squadron Lieutenant Colonel Aaron Ridge! I'm experiencing the same problem!"

"Blue squadron, same issue!"

"Green squadron, comms down! I repeat, comms down! Command had gone dark!"

"Everyone, comms check, now!"

The stadium where the celebrations are being held is the exact same stadium that Indigo uses for its annual Pokemon League Tournament. During the months where the stadium isn't used for holding the annual League tournament, it is used for many other events. Be it Pokemon Contests, concerts, pokemon exhibitions, or other forms of tournaments. Any event hosted in Indigo that is pokemon related and requires a large audience seating, you can bet that this stadium is the go-to venue for it.

Thus, the entire stadium is built with the sturdiest materials the world has to offer. In fact, the stadium has many rooms built into it that are meant to house and contain large and potentially destructive pokemon. The room where we Rangers are gathered at is one of the largest ones and also the one with the highest security available, be it to protect us from outside forces, or to protect the people outside from what is within. Many large gates and shutters are built and positioned at strategic positions within the stadium as the stadium's own defense system. If a pokemon went berserk for whatever reasons and cannot be properly contained immediately, the gates and shutters can be activated remotely to trap said pokemon within an area of the stadium, minimising the overall collateral damage caused.

Meaning to say, the gates that separates us and the audiences are either near indestructible, or cannot be brought down in a short amount of time. And right now, the gates are not opening. To add on, our comms were suddenly down when it was working fine just a minute before.

We do not need to be geniuses to know that something has gone _really _wrong.

Comms are down in the room we are in and we are trapped. If anything were to happen to the audiences right now, we cannot be there to save them. We are royally fucked. In just one move, somebody had just disabled the entire Ranger forces that were meant to evacuate the stadium _right now_. Somehow, _someone_, had just impossibly hacked into the stadium's computer network and immobilised the entire network, jamming our comms, and controlling the shutters and gates leading in and out of the stadium.

And that someone is very likely from Team Rocket given what we were just briefed about. The only thing that is working in our room is the large screen that is showing us what is happening outside live in the stadium right now and already, there are confused murmurs going on within the audiences on why the Rangers had not appeared yet.

Nobody had realised that we are all trapped. No, I don't think we are the only ones who had the stadium's defense system turned against us. If I am Team Rocket and I already have the capability to trap all the Rangers stationed in the stadium within one area, I would not stop there. All STAR forces, the police force, anyone from the Indigo forces who are hiding out of sight in one of the rooms, I will trap them in too in order to take away their numerical advantage in one fell swoop, turning the defense system of the Indigo Stadium against us through hijacking and controlling those near impenetrable gates and shutters within the stadium.

And then, the largest screen within the stadium itself flickered to life. It's obvious that this isn't part of the planned program if the expression on the emcee's face is anything to go by. Not only that, the enormous foldable roof of the stadium that was previously folded away is now starting to fold back in, trapping everyone within the stadium in an impenetrable dome.

The entire network and defense system of the Indigo Stadium had been hijacked. That is the only explanation that made sense.

"Greetings, citizens of Indigo."

A tall man with short teal hair appeared on the largest screen within the stadium. I cannot tell if this video feed is live or recorded prior to this, but that is an unimportant detail compared to the large red 'R' imprinted on the left side of his shirt over his heart.

_Team Rocket_

"Happy National Day!" The man on the screen exclaimed in mock joy. "Five hundred years of our founding, built upon lies and oppression! It is an event to celebrate about, isn't it? Happy National Day everyone! Happy National Day!"

The stadium is deathly silent.

"I am Executive Archer of Team Rocket! And today, on behalf of the organisation, I have come to deliver the perfect birthday gift for our nation! What is the perfect gift, you ask? Why, the truth, of course! Nothing but the undeniable truth! Starting from our very own President, Kain Briggs! Everyone, give him a round of applause please!"

On screen, Archer clapped happily. The stadium remains eerily silent. One of the smaller screens within the stadium then flickered on with a live camera focusing on the President, who is sitting on his seat with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Do you know _how _Indigo prospered? Do you know _how _we earn our money, enjoying the riches that we enjoy today? Do you know who we have to thank for that?_ It's President Briggs! _Mr President, do you want to share with us your secret to success?"

A separate screen which is linked to the camera filming our President live on TV continues to film him. The President's face now has his lips in a tight curl. His face is slowly contorting into a furious scowl and his fists clenched.

"No? It's fine, I understand. You are just shy, aren't you? In that case, let me do it for you! Kain Briggs, the man who defied the impossible and became the leader of a nation at twenty-two years of age! The youngest President to be appointed into office in Indigo's history in its most turbulent times! Never losing a single election, the man adored and respected by both regions that made up the Indigo! Now, _how did you do that? _It's impossible!"

Archer's face morphed into a grin.

"It's simple. You are an expert manipulator, in more ways than one. Your empire is built upon illusions upon illusions, lies after lies! In fact, Team Rocket would never have existed if it wasn't for what you did two decades ago! Today, we are here to tear down your lies and expose the truth to the whole world, live on TV! Right on the day of our nation's founding!"

Without us realising it, even us Rangers were captivated by what we are seeing on the hijacked screen.

"Today, I will tell you the truth behind the founding of Team Rocket, starting from the great economic depression two decades ago! Starting from the extermination of some of the greatest and most loyal minds Kanto has to offer! Many of you here present would have heard of the event, the extermination of SKIP! Separation of Kanto from Indigo through Peace! That was us! That was what Team Rocket was before we were forced to become Team Rocket! Forget everything you thought you know about SKIP! None of that was true, lies spun by our dear Mr President in his last ditch attempt to hold onto his seat of power and we have the evidence to prove it! Today, let me tell you our story!"

Archer took a brief pause before he continued.

"Let me start off by telling the world the story of how our President publicly ordered a genocide in Kanto without the world knowing about it, the genocide that gave birth to Team Rocket."

* * *

_This is fucking insane._

I won't go into the details of the fuckery that Archer had revealed to the goddamn world,_ live on TV_. To keep it simple, Team Rocket had just presented indisputable proof that Indigo prospered through Johto's oppression of Kanto, be it economically or otherwise. It's a fucking mindfuck and a half that got the entire stadium in an uproar and somehow, everyone of us felt compelled to believe it. The evidence is so damning, the reasonings behind it so logical, every single thing can be easily fact-checked if we put our minds into it to piece the puzzle together that it is not even remotely funny.

And if Archer's words are anything to go by, Team Rocket had somehow broadcasted the entire proceedings live on TV to the whole world. The _entire world_ is seeing this, _right now_.

And Team Rocket didn't stop there. Archer had only talked for about five to ten minutes and it wasn't enough to supposedly expose each and every of Kain's wrongdoings. To truly expose Kain to the world, Team Rocket did something _drastic_.

Team Rocket had created a website for the sole purpose of documenting every single evidence of Kain's alleged crimes. The way Team Rocket is doing it reminds me a lot of the WikiLeaks from my previous world. Even the name sounds familiar. SKIPedia, that is the name of the website. Many of the files uploaded there are confidential or classified files that are undoubtedly previously stored in the government's databases, only privy to the eyes of a select few. Now, all of these are free for all to see.

If what the files uploaded there are indeed true, then Kain is seriously fucked and Indigo is going to be shamed for decades. This is the largest scandal to have ever happened in Indigo's history and it _has _to happen on the day of our nation's founding. We are going to be the butt of the world's joke for decades to come. This day is definitely going into the history books. Team Rocket had definitely chosen the perfect time to reveal the truth to the world.

However, that is not the immediate concern right now.

Remember what I said about Team Rocket hijacking the entire stadium's defense system? Nobody could go in or out of the stadium right now, especially when the foldable roof of the stadium is now properly folded in. With that, even flying types cannot fly in or out, and for some reason even psychic types cannot teleport out of the respective sectors of the stadium that they are trapped within the stadium. Every single audience here are now effectively being held as hostages.

Including us Rangers.

Team Rocket's masterplan didn't end there. They also used this opportunity to reveal their latest creation and masterpiece, Mewtwo. They are using Mewtwo to hold us hostage against the Indigo. Archer had claimed that right now, Team Rocket is on their way to reclaim what is rightfully Kanto's. Their armies are marching to Johto's cities as we speak. If the Gym Leaders there tries to do something about it, then someone within the stadium at Indigo Plateau will die, through Mewtwo.

Meaning to say, as long as one of Indigo's Gym Leaders tries to do anything to resist, someone here at Indigo Plateau will die, starting from Johtonians.

"Goddamn it!"

We tried everything we could. We brought out our most destructive pokemon, fired the most devastating attacks, and yet the gate that barred us from saving lives only had a small dent to count for our efforts. The Indigo Stadium's defense system is too damn good.

"Fuck! Is there even a way to communicate with anyone outside of this damn room?!"

"Try using psychics!"

"That's a negative! Something is blocking their telepathic abilities! They cannot link their minds to anyone outside of here!"

"Just keep trying! One of our psychics may just be able to do it!"

"Roger!"

"Report! Incoming! Nine o' clock, left side of the room!"

Every single one of us that are trapped in the large room tensed up and so did our pokemon, ready to go into battle at a moment's notice.

We weren't expecting to see him. _I_ wasn't expecting to see _him_.

He appeared from within the shadows, a powerful looking gallade beside him. I recognised that move, that was Shadow Sneak. Does that mean that although moves like Teleport are being hindered, others like Shadow Sneak could work?

"I am Volkner Tide of Sunyshore, the previous Sunyshore Gym Leader. I'm here to help on Lance's orders. Who's the commanding officer?"

It's him, Volkner. Everyone here knows him on sight, he is a famous figure even after his retirement.

Pyral stepped up and reported to Volkner immediately. The other four squadron commanders quickly gathered around as well, signalling to the rest of us to hold our positions.

"This is Lieutenant Pyral Furnes of the Johto 1st Ranger Regiment, Commander of Black Squadron. General Hartatter is the CO of this operation. He's supposed to be overseeing it from the command post until the stadium's defense system is being used against us. Before he left he transferred the control to us squadron commanders."

"I got it. Alright, five squadron commanders, right? I only have less than three minutes to tell you the updated plan. Sectors G, B, and O where the Indigo forces are standing by are locked in just like you guys. Pillars have been mobilised to take down the gates and shutters to help free you guys so that you can do your job. Clear so far?"

Volkner didn't bother to mince words or lower his voice. Every Ranger in the room could hear him.

"We are going to synchronise our time." Volkner said as he raised up his left arm, showing us the poketch he is wearing on it. Our commanders quickly did the same as they raised up their watches, their fingers hovering over the necessary buttons.

"The time will be 10: 28 in 3, 2, 1. 10: 28." Volkner initiated a time synchronisation as we all readjusted the time on our watches to his, which isn't much since the time displayed on our watches are pretty accurate to begin with. But if Volkner deems a time synchronisation to be necessary, then it means timing is a very crucial factor in stopping Team Rocket.

"At 10: 30 sharp I will break the gates down, and so will the other Pillars here that have been mobilised to free the remaining STAR and Police forces. You guys will go and do your thing as per the original plan. Teleporting within the stadium may be impossible right now, but the moment you get out of the stadium your psychic pokemon should be able to teleport properly to anywhere away from the stadium, so Psychic Specialists should use that to your advantage. Comms should also be up soon. We Pillars will go handle the unknown pokemon floating in the middle of the stadium. Try not to get too close to our battles, that pokemon is believed to be created to be on the level of a legendary pokemon, we are not joking."

Volkner's words elicited many murmured curses and shocked gasps. I grimaced. _Mewtwo_. Volkner and the other Pillars present, whoever they may be, will be fighting Mewtwo.

"Protocol M is being approved, so relevant personnels please take note. If you deem the situation dire enough to use it, then use it."

"But sir! Protocol M is class-"

"Classified won't save us now, won't save _them _now."

Volkner pointed to the screen which is still showing the situation at the stadium in real time. Many of the audiences are scared. Children are crying.

"This is Lance's orders. He will handle the aftermath of using Protocol M in public. Forget about secrecy if need be. Understood?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Time now is 10: 29. We have about 30 seconds left." Volkner recited out loud as he looked at his poketch once more and made his way to stand right in front of the massive gates blocking our way forward.

"I'm going to make preparations to bust down the gates. Everyone, make way if you don't want to end up as collateral damage. I mean it."

We all wisely did as Volkner mentioned. In one single motion, Volkner released what I assume is his entire team around him. I counted 19 pokemon in total.

_Nineteen _pokemon. He really is amazing. Not many people in this world can boast to be able to properly tame so many pokemon and train them to be Pillar-level strong.

Our gaze met for a short second. I'm pretty sure I caught him sending me a smirk even if it disappeared fairly quickly because he refocused his attention back onto the gates. I watched as he pulled up the sleeve of his blue jacket a little, revealing a queer little marble-like stone embedded in a bracelet he wore around his wrist.

"Puddle."

The massive monster that is Volkner's gyarados lowered its head enough for Volkner to jump onto it. The gyarados raised its head once more as it gave a loud bellow before glowing a startling white.

My eyes widened. That gyarados, it's… _evolving?_

_Impossible._

Everyone watched as right before our very eyes, the gyarados grew bulkier. The fins on its cheeks grew longer and started to gain a yellow tint. The crest on its head grew larger and turned black. Fins and spikes grew along specific parts of its body. The most distinctive features are the two humongous fins growing on its back.

The light eventually died down, and a gyarados that does not look like the conventional gyarados that we know of announced its appearance with a savage and bloodthirsty roar. Even just by looking at it, we can all tell that this gyarados is now a lot more ridiculously powerful, like it had gained a power spike as compared to its earlier form.

"Oi, Black Squadron commander, you do the countdown!"

"Roger Wilco! Time now is 10: 29: 48! 49! 50! 51!..."

We do not need any hints from our commanders to prepare ourselves and get ready. Crown gave a low growl as he readied himself for flight and so did my flying types. Around me, my fellow Rangers are doing the same, already organised in their squadron's formations.

Meanwhile, Volkner's pokemon are beginning to charge up their power. The intensity of the power that they are giving off is suffocating at this distance, especially the Hyper Beam forming at the front of the evolved-gyarados' opened jaws.

Just _what _is this gyarados?

"57! 58! 59! **60!**"

Volkner's pokemon fired their attacks. The resulting light that was produced as a by-product was so glaring that we all have to cover our eyes. We all heard a deafening boom not just right in front of us, but all around the stadium. The other Pillars must have also used their power to free the trapped Indigo forces within the Indigo Stadium right at the same time Volkner did.

I struggled to open my eyes among the bright light. When it died down enough for me to finally open my eyes, Volkner was already gone. He and his pokemon had vanished in streaks of yellow lights.

Most importantly, the gate is no more. We are free to do what we are supposed to do.

"MOVE! GO GO GO!"

I don't know who shouted the order, but it pulled our minds back into working order as we all zipped through the pair of destroyed gates at the same time. We reached the stadium within seconds.

Chaotic doesn't even begin to describe what is going on.

Right in the middle of the stadium, Lance is battling Mewtwo in a deathmatch, supported by Karen and Elesa from Unova. All around the stadium, chaos had erupted. Rocket members that were stationed around the stadium are now trying to contain the situation only to find themselves face to face with members of the STAR or police forces that had finally broken free of their confinement. Somehow, the gates and shutters that were previously shut are now opened. People are now in a mad rush to get out of here, pushing each other out of the way in a desperate gambit to save their lives.

It's a battlefield out here.

"DON'T FALTER! DON'T HESITATE! JUST DO WHAT WE ARE SUPPOSED TO DO! WE ARE THE RANGERS OF THE 1ST RANGER REGIMENT! EVACUATE THE CIVILIANS IN OUR ALLOCATED SECTOR TO AREA LD155!"

As if sensing our fear and doubts, Pyral barked those words to us over the din as we flew across the stadium towards our assigned sector, bringing our focus back to where it should be at. We all heard him loud and clear.

A Rocket with a steelix tried to get in our way just as we were flying over to our allocated sector of the stadium.

"KEEP GOING! DO NOT STOP! THE STAR FORCES WILL TAKE CARE OF HIM!"

True to Pyral's words, members of the STAR forces appeared almost immediately to meet the Rocket in battle, clearing the way for us.

It's like what we were briefed about before we were thrown headfirst into the shitfest. The STAR forces will do their thing, the police will do theirs, and we will do ours. Three different forces, each having a different role, aiding each other to do our job.

The faster we evacuate the area, the easier the STAR and Police forces can do their jobs. In that case, then we shall evacuate the civilians as fast as we possibly can.

Through any means necessary.

* * *

**Name: Skye Bale, 16, Female**

**Affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Staff Sergeant**

**Code Name: Zephyr**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. Pidgeot (Crown), male**

**2\. Gliscor (Glide), male**

**3\. Skarmory (Dia), female**

**4\. Crobat (Beats), male**

**5\. Jumpluff (Cotton), female**

**6\. Dragonite (Tino), female**

**7\. Noivern (Echo), male**

**8\. Emolga, (Emi), female**

**9\. Hawlucha (Hawk), male**

**10\. Sigilyph (Cosmo), female**

**11\. Aerodactyl (Aria), female**

**12\. Masquerain (Heli), male**


	20. Chapter 20- Fighting through the chaos

There isn't any time to think. There is barely any time to act.

"Over here! Give me your hand! Powergirl, take them with you!"

"The left side caught fire! Torrent!"

"I know!"

"Zephyr! This is Nightmare! I have three people here in need of pickup!"

"On my way!"

To be perfectly honest, if it wasn't for our teamwork that had been perfected after months of drills and backbreaking training there's no way we could have coordinated with each other so seamlessly. Each of us knew exactly what our individual roles are and knew exactly what to do to best adapt to the situation.

Pyral and Jacky had set up a safe zone within the sector which our squadron was allocated to evacuate. Their pokemon are diligently guarding the perimeter, preventing the civilians within from coming to harm. Amy, Adam, and Rufus are in charge of finding and bringing people into the safe zone we had set up. My job is to evacuate those within the safe zone to the designated Area LD155 with help of my flying types.

The injured, the young, and the elderly are given priority, followed by the adults. There isn't time to listen to any of the civilians' petty squabbles of who should be rightfully evacuated first, if there are any. If we encounter any resistance we simply tossed them onto my flying types before we take off towards Area LD155.

We _don't _have time.

I myself had lost count how many times I had flown to and fro between Area LD155 and the stadium. Rockets had started to fill the stadium once more as they seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Many times a stray attack or two would have gotten us if it wasn't for Pyral's charizard and Jacky's crobat acting as bodyguards for me and my team of flying types.

To bring along a greater number of people for each journey, we had used a special kind of net which we Rangers affectionately called the 'delivery net'. As its name implies, it assists us in delivering people or things. Whatever people or goods we have to deliver will sit right in the middle of it, the four corners of the net are to be held by our pokemon as they move together at the same speed towards their destination.

Basically, we are ferrying people across the skies using a large net held together by four of my larger pokemon. Dia, Echo, Aria, and Tino are currently using the net to ferry as many as they can for each journey. The rest of my flying types either act as their escorts or assist in defending the safe zone from hostile fire.

"Skye, dive towards your four o' clock!"

Crown reacted before I did, swerving downwards within a split second. A stray bolt of lightning would have hit me if it wasn't for the warning.

"Thanks, Liam!"

"Be careful!"

"INCOMING!"

A massive explosion occurred right in the middle of the route the Rangers are using to evacuate the masses from the stadium to the designated areas. An armoured pokemon flew up from within the smoke and began to indiscriminately fire off waves of psychic energy in our direction.

"GET DOWN! _GET DOWN **NOW!**"_

"Tino, to our left!"

With Tino acting as the leader, the rest of my flying types who are using the delivery net immediately tried to follow Tino's lead in order to avoid Mewtwo's attack. The civilians within the net screamed at the sudden midair twist, as if that would save their lives.

However, even I can tell that we are not going to make it in time. Even if Crown can dodge that attack, Tino and the rest cannot. The civilians will be hit and they will die from it.

"Ranger, don't move! Dragon Pulse!"

A bombardment of Dragon Pulse was fired from behind us as they hit the huge wave of psychic energy before it could get us, prematurely setting off a series of explosions that produced a gust of wind so strong that even Crown was nearly blown off with me on his back. Tino and the rest managed to maintain their altitude while staying out of the blast range, coming out of it unscathed.

I turned around, only to spot the Indigo Champion giving me a thumbs up before diving right back into the fray with his dragons.

If this wasn't such a bad moment, I would have fangirled at the fact that _Lance _himself just thumbs up me.

**"This is Champion Lance! I will open up a route! All Rangers, follow behind me!"**

Lance's voice could somehow be heard over the din. His presence and voice alone is enough to calm us down and assure us that everything is going to be alright. Our morale was raised once again as we followed his orders, trailing behind his team of dragons while protecting the civilians we are trying to escort out of the battlefield.

Mewtwo is currently busy battling against countless streaks of yellow lights. I don't know what these lights are, but my best guess is that they are pokemon who moved so fast that their forms could only be seen as streaks of yellow lights by the human eye. Down on the ground below, Elite Four Karen and Gym Leader Elesa from Unova are busy assisting whoever is taking part in aerial combat against Mewtwo.

A flash of psychic later, Elite Four Will dropped down from above together with Bruno. We watched in awe as Bruno's fighting types physically smacked Mewtwo into the ground at speeds so fast that it produced a sonicboom. The stadium shook at the impact and we could see an army of poison types closing onto where Mewtwo had fallen almost immediately. That must be the work of Elite Four Koga.

The Elite Four have the situation handled.

"Hyper Beam!"

As one, Lance's dragonites collectively fired a Hyper Beam that blasted a huge gaping hole towards the Rockets in our way, obliterating them from the face of the earth in an instant.

I could only stare in awe. This, is the power of a _Champion_.

"GO!"

We didn't dare to waste any time. Rangers who, like me, were tasked to transport the civilians from the stadium to the safe areas outside the stadium immediately rushed out of the stadium now that both Mewtwo and a substantial number of the Rockets are no longer in our way.

Beats produced three clicking noises before rushing straight ahead with Emi and Hawk right behind him. Beats must have detected something that we didn't.

"Cosmo! Sitrep!"

_'Five hostiles ahead.'_

"Glide, Heli, assist them! Clear the way!"

My gliscor and masquerain heeded my orders as they followed after Beats. Pyral's charizard flew higher into the air above us before shooting a flamethrower straight ahead in an area where my eyes couldn't see, but I know it well enough to understand that it is lending us a hand.

"We have twenty seven left!" Pyral informed me the moment we returned to the stadium once more after sending the previous batch of civilians to Area LD155. "Can your flying types take them all at once using the net?"

"Affirmative! Get on!"

"Good! Everyone, you heard Zephyr! Defend her and her flying types while she gets the civvies onto the net!"

"Yes Sir!"

"Is Teleport still being blocked?!"

"Last I checked, it's an affirmative! The STAR forces are still unable to pinpoint the source of the interference!"

"They are too damn slow!"

"This is Nightmare! My location, three o' clock! Bunch of ursarings heading our way! ETA three-zero sec-! Scratch that! One-zero seconds!"

"Do **_not_** engage them on your own! Torrent, are you able to lend a hand?!"

"Negative! I'm still trying to contain the fire that is spreading our way!"

"This is Powergirl! I can assist Nightmare!"

"Good! Venom, you go too! There's no need to tangle with them for too long! Disengage the moment Zephyr and her team takes off! Leave it to STAR to take care of them!"

"Yes Sir!"

"Get them on quick!" I instructed my flying types as they quickly picked up whoever is closest to them and deposited them onto the delivery net, ignoring the civilians' protest. There isn't time to tell the civvies to stay calm and not panic, not when every second counts right now. They either endure the rough treatment we are giving them and suck it up, or stay here and die.

_We don't have time._

"Cremator, I'm taking off!"

"Go! We will be right behind you! Venom, you guys prepare to disengage!"

"Roger!"

We took off again, and hopefully this is the last time I would ever see the Indigo Stadium today. My flying types flew in a formation around the net with my larger pokemon holding the net together. Just as we were about to fly out of the stadium, I spotted Pyral and his fire types chasing after us from below, probably acting as our escort.

Crown suddenly gave an alarmed squawk, and it was then I saw what he saw.

Right below, near an area of the outer walls of the stadium where a large gaping hole is, a little boy that couldn't be any older than ten is crying and huddling in a hole with no way for him to get out. I have no idea why or how he is there without any members of the Indigo forces spotting him for so long, but that isn't the worst that I saw.

Right above the boy, a large piece of debris is dropping down on him and the boy does not realise it.

My body reacted even before my mind did.

"CROWN!"

Crown didn't hesitate as he dove down towards the boy at maximum speed with me on his back. Getting the boy out of there before the debris hits him does not seem to be possible, so the best alternative will be to destroy the debris before any harm could be done.

"Air Slash!"

With a flap of his wings, Crown succeeded in destroying the debris without slowing its flight in the slightest. We touched down onto the ground and I immediately got down from Crown's back to lift the boy out of the hole.

_'Cosmo, get Tino and the rest to proceed to Area LD155 without me. We will join you soon. I'm counting on you guys.'_

_'Understood. Stay safe, mistress.'_

"Hush, it's all right now. You will be fine."

I carried the boy and hugged him close to me as I quickly made my way back to Crown, who is standing nearby and on alert. The boy clung onto me tightly as he buried his face into my chest, crying uncontrollably.

The only thing I can do is to pat him on the back and try my best to soothe him.

I was about to climb back up onto Crown's back when he suddenly moved to position himself in front of me and without delay, fired another blast of Air Slash ahead.

"Get her!"

This time, I didn't have time to react. All of a sudden, we were bombarded by attacks fired by Rockets who weren't previously around the area. Crown had managed to hastily use a Protect to defend us for harm but there's no way the Protect could last for long.

I grimaced. For a Flying Specialist, this is literally the worst situation to be in. Grounded with all exits blocked, fighting indoors, in _cramped _spaces.

"Hyper Beam!"

A Hyper Beam was fired and while Crown's Protect held, the force of the attack was powerful enough to throw us all backwards. I managed to shift my body in time and place myself in between the boy and the wall which we are thrown against, shielding the boy from harm.

God, that fucking _hurts_.

"B-Big sis!"

"I'm fine!" I gritted out as I tried my best to ignore the acute pain. Crown is picking himself up from the ground too as he prepared himself for another bout.

"Don't worry, I promise I will get you out of here. Crown, Whirlwind!"

"Mach Punch!"

A hitmonchan moved before we were able to, punching Crown away from me. I quickly moved the boy out of harm's way as I half-dragged, half-carried him along with me before a victreebel nearly succeeded in impaling us both with the sharp end of its vine.

"Flame Charge!"

Hope arrived in a blaze of fire as the moving flames rammed the hitmonchan and victreebel away before the Rockets could do anything. The blur of flames didn't stop there, but rather, did the impossible by making a sharp turn even while moving at such high speeds and continuing to charge towards the remaining Rockets and their pokemon.

The edge of my vision caught a fast moving blur of purple and it stopped in front of me. A massive scolipede hissed and clicked its mandibles fiercely as it stood protectively by my side with its poisonous stings raised, using its body to shield me from potential harm. From right behind the Rockets, a pangoro roared as it began to send any Rockets and their pokemon flying left and right using only its fists. Another Rocket tried to retaliate by sending out another pokemon from the pokeball in his hand, only for a lopunny to drop in from above and took him out with a well-placed kick. The Rockets who tried to flee were swiftly neutralised by a regal looking kingdra that knocked them out with accurate blasts of pressurised water.

"Zephyr! You alright?!"

"We are fine!" I replied, relieved to see my squadron once more. "You guys sure have nice timing."

"Sorry, it took me a while to locate you and to get here. You were too damn fast." Pyral apologised as the moving ball of fire ceased burning and his arcanine trotted back to his side. Jacky ran up to me and assisted me and the boy in picking ourselves off the floor.

"You are hurt."

"I'm fine." I insisted as I stood up once more, letting Jacky carry the boy instead. My back is hurting so badly that I doubt I could lift the boy up again. At least, not right now. I need some time to recover.

"Sorry to interrupt, but this is one bad place to hole up in. Can we move?"

For once, nobody rebutted Adam because he does bring up a valid point. We cannot stay here for too long or we will be fishes in a barrel when more Rockets head our way.

Without another word, Pyral took point as he rode on his arcanine, with Jacky and Rufus following behind as they rode on Amy's tauros. Adam, Amy, and I flew through the air using our pokemon's help.

We reached Area LD155 soon enough. The rest of my pokemon team are already there and are anxiously waiting for my return. I quickly thanked them before recalling them into their pokeballs, only leaving Tino out with me. A large number of police are here maintaining law and order while ensuring the safety of the civilians. I can also see the rest of the Rangers from the 1st Regiment slowly trickling in one after the other. It seems that we had all completed the mission General Hartatter had given us.

"We are done here, the police will take care of the rest. Five minutes, go do or check whatever you need to do, then gather back here. We will be moving out right after." Pyral ordered before turning to take his leave, walking towards the direction where the rest of the squadron commanders are.

"Here you go." Jacky told the little boy as he entrusted him to a police officer. The boy had stopped crying by now as he looked at Jacky, then back at me.

"O-Okay." The boy stuttered before calling out to me before the police officer could whisk him away.

"B-Big sis!"

"Yes?"

"T-Thank you! Thank you for saving my life!"

"Just doing our job." I told the boy as I bent down a little and patted him on the head. "The police will find your parents for you, so be patient, okay?"

"O-Okay!" The boy nodded determinedly before surprising us with his next words.

"I-I will be a Ranger when I grow up! J-Just like you and that mister over there!"

Jacky and I were both stunned for a short moment before we let out a collective laugh.

"Sure, we will be waiting." Jacky said with a grin as he lowered himself to the boy's height. "And when that time comes, we can save people together, okay? Remember, we are from Johto's 1st Ranger Regiment, Black Squadron. My codename is Venom and she is Zephyr, and we will see you there in the future! Promise?"

"Promise!"

We watched the police officer leading the boy away until he was out of our sights. I was about to turn and leave until Jacky grabbed me by the arm.

"What?"

"Go get yourself checked. You were thrown against a wall for goodness sake."

"I'm fine."

"Skye-"

"Five minutes is almost up." I replied as I gently pried Jacky's hands off me. "Besides, this is an emergency. There's no time to rest."

I walked on ahead with Tino lumbering along beside me. She let out a soft croon, looking at me in concern.

"I'm fine." I reassured Tino. "I have a feeling that we might need to fly to many places later. I will be counting on you."

Tino's throat rumbled a little, telling me that she understands what is expected of her in our new mission assigned to us.

Pyral was already there when we returned. Like I had suspected, another mission has been given to us. We are being reassigned to help out in another location as of immediate effect.

"We are going to Blackthorn. Long story short, Team Rocket has their armies marching towards almost every single town or city in Johto right now. We won't be taking part in the fight, the other Indigo forces will be handling that part, but we will be needed to ensure that civilian casualties are brought down to the minimum. There isn't a strict order to follow for this particular mission other than saving as many as we can. Use your own professional judgement to assess the situation on the ground. Clear so far?"

"Yes boss."

"Good, then we are moving out right now. Zephyr."

I nodded as Tino got on all fours to allow us to climb onto her back. With a flap of her wings, we took off once more. As long as Tino is around, we could reach anywhere in a matter of minutes.

Time is of the essence, lives are at stake.

To Blackthorn we go.

* * *

**Name: Skye Bale, 16, Female**

**Affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Staff Sergeant**

**Code Name: Zephyr**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. Pidgeot (Crown), male**

**2\. Gliscor (Glide), male**

**3\. Skarmory (Dia), female**

**4\. Crobat (Beats), male**

**5\. Jumpluff (Cotton), female**

**6\. Dragonite (Tino), female**

**7\. Noivern (Echo), male**

**8\. Emolga, (Emi), female**

**9\. Hawlucha (Hawk), male**

**10\. Sigilyph (Cosmo), female**

**11\. Aerodactyl (Aria), female**

**12\. Masquerain (Heli), male**


	21. Chapter 21- Toxic Mask

I couldn't tell if we arrived at Blackthorn too late or if we had reached on time. All I could tell is that the city is starting to descend into chaos.

Like what Pyral had briefed us earlier, an army of Rockets are laying a siege on the city, both from outside and within. If I had to take a guess, there are Rockets within Blackthorn that had been lying in wait for today. By coordinating with the forces that are outside trying to break through Blackthorn's defenses right now, they are able to better sow chaos and mayhem throughout the city.

"The Johto 4th Regiment are the ones stationed in this city! Work with them to evacuate as many as you can! Leave it to the 4th Regiment to guide the civvies to the shelter! We evacuate those who are nearer to the frontlines and are unable to escape!"

We got to work immediately. Everyone else other than me disembarked from Tino's back and we quickly got to work. The Rocket's main forces are trying to make their way in from the south of the city so that is where we are headed.

Already, buildings are on fire. Infrastructures had been destroyed. Battles are being fought as members of the Indigo forces worked together with Blackthorn trainers to better protect the city.

"Skye! I leave you to check for stragglers that are on the higher floors of the buildings! Focus on buildings that have caught fire or are about to collapse! Everyone else, locate as many civvies as you can and hand them over to the 4th Regiment! Remember! We are not here to fight, but to save lives!"

"Roger!"

Pyral was right. There _are _a number of stragglers trapped on the higher floors of buildings whose staircases had collapsed or which had caught fire.

"Don't panic! Don't rush! There is more than enough space for all of you! Children and elderlies first, please! Then the ladies followed by the men!"

A few families on the upper floors of a particular building had been trapped. The building seems to be on the verge of collapsing. I had radioed for reinforcements but I am not sure how soon they will arrive, or if they will arrive at all. It simply looks as if we are short-handed on all fronts.

I guess I'm lucky today, because the families which I had found and had to evacuate did not panic as much as I expected them to do. My flying types quickly deposited them on the ground below one batch after the other where Rangers are slowly converging to assist in the evacuation.

"Venom to Zephyr, I have visual of your location! That building is about to collapse anytime soon, I repeat! That building is about to collapse anytime soon! Get out of there!"

"Negative! There is still a family left!"

"Copy that! I'm heading over!"

It's like what Jacky had said. It's obvious that this entire building is about to collapse even with my pokemon's best efforts to evacuate everyone within as soon as possible. We picked up our speed as my larger pokemon assisted in the evacuation while the smaller ones quickly scouted the building just in case there were still stragglers that were within the building that we had all missed out.

"Rockets are coming! Hurry!"

A Ranger from the 4th Regiment shouted his warning loud enough for everyone to hear. A turn of my head confirmed this fact. Even with Clair's best efforts, trying to simultaneously deal with the army outside while keeping watch of the Rockets that are stirring trouble from within is a little too much even for someone like her.

"WATCH OUT!"

There was a loud creak, then a crack, then the entire building _crumbled_ in a deafening crash.

"Grab whoever you can! We are getting out of here!"

My pokemon all quickly grabbed ahold of anyone they could possibly grab as we quickly flew away from the collapsing building. Debris is raining down on us and we would have been seriously injured if accurate blasts of flames didn't blow the debris away in time.

No, I'm not joking. The accuracy of these Flamethrowers is something that even Pyral is unable to achieve. These flames are protecting us from the falling debris while not hindering our twisted path of flight in the slightest. That's some insane level of skill.

However, I also have more important things to worry about.

"SOMEONE, SAVE THEM!"

There are still people that my flying types were unable to grab a hold of in time or currently have their hands too filled to be able to take anymore passengers. I can only helplessly watch as they continue their freefall without anyone being able to be there in time to save them.

"Venom to Zephyr, I got this! You get out of there!"

"Roger that!"

Jacky's voice sounding out from my comms made me feel at ease immediately. I soon understood what Jacky meant when countless vines suddenly emerged from the ground and quickly pulled those civilians away from the danger. All this while, the blasts of flames didn't stop protecting us as they either burned away or hit the falling debris away from us.

Then a bigger explosion could be heard.

I turned around, only to feel my heart leaping into my throat when I saw that the collapsing building simply… collapsed even _faster_ in a great ball of exploding fire.

"Yo, the Ranger in the air, keep calm and just keep flying! I will handle this! You! Yes, **you!** The guy with the venusaur, get back! It's not yet your time to play hero! Burner, let's go!"

An unfamiliar voice could be heard over the noise before a pillar of flame rocketed into the sky. My eyes managed to catch a brief glimpse of a magmortar propelling itself into the air using the powerful blasts of flames it releases from its arm cannons. Even when travelling through the air via artificial flight, it is able to fly so fast and smoothly that it wouldn't have paled to any other flying types.

The magmortar placed itself in between us and the collapsing building that is about to press us down into the ground. It is like a falling tower of jenga blocks, except that this tower is made of concrete and is approximately twenty stories high.

"Three! Two! One! **NOW!**"

The magmortar roared before lighting itself up and transformed into a miniature sun, emitting light so bright that it casted a dark shadow over us all. The heat is unbearable and it only spurred us to hurry and get the hell out of here.

"Burn 'em! Lava Plume!"

And the skies were set _ablaze_. The fire raged on and it was only after I landed on the ground with the civilians that I had rescued that the fire started to die down. I widened my eyes in disbelief when I saw that the entire building is no more. _Gone_. _Erased _from existence.

_No damn way._

That magmortar just burned the collapsed building so thoroughly that _nothing _was left. This level of firepower is _insane_. Not only that, the fire didn't spread and is contained to a very specific area small enough for other pokemon to quickly put it out. That level of overwhelming firepower combined with that insane accuracy is something that I had never heard of.

Just _who _is that magmortar's trainer?

"Sup, nobody got hurt, yea?"

That unfamiliar voice caught our attention once more. A tall lanky man with red afro hair walked up to us with his hands in his pocket, acting like a twenty storey building hadn't just almost collapsed on us. The magmortar from earlier landed on its feet beside the man with a loud crash but only let out a dismissive grunt for it.

Why the hell is this guy here?! He is-

"Flint of Sinnoh's Elite Four?"

"That's me alright." Flint said with a large grin before jabbing a thumb in the direction behind him. "Unfortunately, this is not the time for me to be giving out signatures or taking photos with you guys. You guys mind moving somewhere safer so that I can do my job?"

"I will take over from here." A Ranger from the 4th Regiment volunteered as he took the civilians off my hands and quickly guided them to the shelters behind us. Flint merely gave us a lazy wave before running straight ahead towards where the main bulk of the fighting is together with his team of fire types, no doubt going to aid Clair in defending Blackthorn.

"I have enough near-miss for today." I grumbled as I signalled for Crown to take flight once more. The rest of my team followed suit as we moved on to the next area. I spotted Jacky and his poison types following close behind as they traversed through the ground. He gave me a thumbs up when our gaze met, an action which I returned.

My radio crackled for a few seconds as the static prevented me from hearing anything useful until Pyral's voice could be heard once more.

"-tor to Zephyr! Cremator to Zephyr! Come in! Come in!"

Oh shit, boss is radioing for me.

"This is Zephyr! Go ahead!"

"Go check on the west side of the city ASAP! Reports from the 4th Regiment has it that the Rockets are planning to gas the entire city starting from the west side! If so, save as many as you can before the gas hits!"

I stilled as Pyral's words continued to repeat itself when I didn't formulate a response. I am still trying to digest what Pyral had just told me.

Gas the city? But that's-

"Those bastards!"

Adam's voice snapped me back to reality.

"This is Zephyr! Roger wilco! I'm on my way!"

Without turning to check if Jacky is following close behind, I turned Crown around as we sped towards the west of Blackthorn. We reached there in less than a minute. Pyral is right. From outside of the city, a large cloud of purple gas is slowly closing in. There is no doubt that the gas is toxic. At the rate the cloud of gas is travelling, it will engulf the west side of the city in just a few minutes. Nowhere will be safe.

To make things worse, our forces are now concentrating their efforts on the south of the city where the bulk of the fighting is. There are not many members from the Indigo forces here to defend the west side. Enough to hold off a siege, but not enough and not well-equipped to handle a gas attack of such scale.

Just how cruel can those Rockets be?!

I clicked my tongue as my mind worked overtime to come up with a solution. Trying to save everyone that will be within range of the gas cloud is futile. There is simply not enough time because of the size and speed of the cloud. In that case, there's only one option left.

I am a Flying Specialist. Like Liam said, when the winds are not in our favour, we create our own.

"Everyone! Tailwind, Hurricane, Whirlwind! Blow the gas back to where it came from! Don't let it reach the city!"

My flying types obeyed and quickly did as they were told. Fortunately, our actions did have the effects we desired. People started to cheer and trainers quickly emulated what my flying types are doing, conjuring the winds to blow in our favour.

"This is only a temporary measure! We cannot keep this up forever! Someone needs to go and find where the gas is coming from and stop it!"

The words of a volunteer trainer got me to bite on the inside of my cheeks. He's right. We cannot keep this up forever. If we want to really prevent the gas from reaching the city we need to find who and what is emitting this cloud of toxic gas and stop it from spreading towards the city.

I am a Ranger, my job is to save lives. I am a Ranger of the 1st Ranger Regiment and a Flying Specialist. I am the best suited person for this task right now.

"I'm going to check things out! You guys keep the winds blowing, I won't take long!"

"Be careful!"

I flew off towards where the gas clouds were coming from the moment I was sure the defense force stationed at the west of the city had things handled for the moment. I could not help but clench my fists when I thought about how things would have gone south if we didn't push the gas cloud back in time. Those bastard Rockets. What are they trying to achieve by massacring an entire city with a gas attack?!

I can _never _forgive such people. I can _never _forgive whoever is creating the toxic gas cloud. Such an act is inhumane, cruel. Absolutely _unacceptable_. I will _never _forgive anyone who does such a thing.

_Never_.

* * *

I soon tracked the origin of the gas cloud to be originating from the forested area along Route 44. We had braved through the toxic gas unharmed thus far because of my flying types' ability to prevent them from coming too close to us. However, I realised that the gas clouds are getting progressively harder to get rid of the closer we are to tracking its source.

That also means that we are very close to locating whoever is orchestrating such a low and inhumane act.

We hovered in the air above Route 44, and we were about to pinpoint the origin of the gas cloud when an even bigger and more concentrated cloud of toxic gas suddenly blew in our direction from nowhere. The gas continued to spread rapidly as it rose into the sky, now forcing us to fly low and into the forest where the gas did not spread.

_Found it._

"Huh, a little girl? Eh, I really don't want to fight against children, much less a little girl, so if you could kindly just turn around and leave without telling anyone that I'm just chilling out here, I would let you go just like that. How about it?"

A purple haired man with a goatee walked out of the foliage within the forest that my team and I were forced to land on. A team of poison types are accompanying the Rocket. The carefree attitude this guy is showing makes me even more on guard. He's confident that if we come to blows, he _will _win, I can tell that much.

Furthermore, his uniform's design is unfamiliar to me. That means that he is no ordinary rank and file grunt. He is definitely a leader within the Rockets and if he is of the same rank as the Rocket that nearly ended my life twice, then this spells overall bad news for me.

"Huh? Let's see, a pidgeot, a nasty dragonite, gliscor, skarmory, blah blah blah… Yeah, you have to be her alright. The one that Plague wrote about in his report during the attack on Johto National Park. He had high praises for you."

"Plague?" I tried to buy some time and glean some info off this seemingly loose-lipped Rocket. My mind ran through the options I have, which are not many. This purple hair guy is obviously stronger than me. I cannot count on reinforcements to arrive due to the shitfest that is happening right now in Blackthorn and possibly the whole of Johto. The large cloud of toxic gas is a problem too. It is a lot more dense and harder to get rid of the closer we are to the man's poison types. We cannot fly freely like this.

There comes the dilemma. Keep my distance, and I will have trouble knocking out the poison types that are no doubt responsible for the gas cloud that is threatening to engulf the whole of Blackthorn. Close the distance, and I might just be one-shotted by this man and his poison types, and that is not even taking into account the cloud of toxic fumes circling around us.

What should I do?

"That's one of our Executives. Super cool guy, although a little quiet and emotionally stunted." The purple haired Rocket said nonchalantly before stroking his goatee. "Although I have to say, what are _you _doing all the way out here? Trying to stop **_me?_**"

The Rocket laughed. He laughed hard, as if me trying to stop him is the funniest thing he had ever heard. I could have tried a sneak attack while he was seemingly defenseless when he was laughing, but something at the back of my mind told me that I would be killed even before I could get close.

So, I decided upon a different approach.

I subtly pressed a very specific button of my pokegear that I kept in the back pocket of my pants, out of sight of the Rocket. If my memories serve me right, my very last call was with Volkner. There's a nifty function of the pokegear that I do use sometimes on missions. If I press the GPS button followed by the redial button, my location would be sent to the person which I last called. It is a function built into the device just in case trainers need to let someone else know about their current location quickly, especially when they suddenly found themselves in an emergency. It is especially useful when they run into trouble far away from any form of civilisation on their journeys.

It took that Rocket a while to calm down and stop laughing and when he did, his persona got a little more serious.

"This is my last warning, girl. I don't like to fight against children but that doesn't mean I wouldn't."

"I supposed there's no way I can convince you to stop gassing Blackthorn? Many people will die if a gassing of that scale implicates the city."

It sounds foolish trying to convince a _terrorist _to _stop _killing people, but at least I did try.

"Hello? That's _exactly _what I am trying to do. Are you right in the head?"

"Does it not bother you _at all?!_" I said through gritted teeth and clenched fists. "That thousands of people will **_die?!_** It's a _gas attack!_ Even if medical aid were to be given immediately there's no guarantee that the victims will ever fully recover! With an attack of that scale even with the advancements in medical technology in recent years there wouldn't be enough to save everyone!"

"I know. Your point being?" The Rocket said with a shrug. "And you should count yourself lucky, girl, that you are born a Johtonian. Johtonians are _always _blessed to be privileged, _always _having access to the best healthcare services Indigo has to offer. Kanto's healthcare… _meh_."

The Rocket waved his hand flippantly without a care in the world at the last part.

"Alright, I've wasted enough time and you've wasted your only chance to get out of here alive. Muk, go-"

There's no way I am going to let him have the first move if I want to live.

_'Cosmo, get the guys to use a Whirlwind, then Hurricane. Tailwind out of here.'_

It was instantaneous.

A large gust of wind howled and ripped through the area we are at as my flying types launched a collaborative attack that blew the purple-haired Rocket and his team away. The Hurricane dispersed the toxic cloud of gas above us as we took to the skies immediately. A Tailwind boosted our speed as we zipped straight for Blackthorn, not wanting the Rocket and his poison types to catch up to us.

There's no way I could defeat this guy, so I shall not fight him. All I have to do is to stall until someone who could defeat him arrives at my location. Volkner should be smart enough to deduce that something very wrong is happening at the location that I just sent him. He did tell me to contact him if I run into trouble and that his porygon-z will be keeping an eye for any messages from me.

The buzz of a beedrill was our only warning as a ferocious beedrill suddenly appeared among us and began to attack Tino with its oversized needle. Heli intercepted it with a Water Pulse but the beedrill dodged it. Emi fired a Shock Wave but the beedrill somehow took the hit without even flinching.

The hell? Since when could a beedrill be this strong?! We are _definitely_ outclassed!

Crown gave a squawk and we were forced to fly low once more when another cloud of toxic gas suddenly appeared in front of us and steadily rose up into the sky, cutting off our escape route. We didn't even have time to disperse the cloud of poisonous fumes this time when vines emerged to snare us all.

"Glide! Aria!"

Glide's claws and Aria's sharp wingblades easily tore through the mass of Vine Whips that was snaring us, freeing us instantly. A muk rushed at us with its mouth opened wide but Cosmo flung it away with a Psychic. I can only curse at the shitty situation we are in. We cannot run because the poison guy will just cut off all our escape routes faster than we can flee and we are unable to fight him head-on in battle because he is so much stronger.

However, it seems like we might not have a choice. Running is not a permanent solution if we want to live through this.

"Tino, Dragon Dance! We are going in!"

With the effects of Dragon Dance, Tino can fly a lot faster and use a lot more aerial maneuvers that are much nimbler. Tino fired a powerful Hyper Beam at the muk, vaporising a large part of its body in the process but the muk simply reformed itself. A nidoking emerged from the trees as it tried to ram at us with a Megahorn only for Dia to knock it off balance with a Steel Wing before pushing it back with Drill Peck.

"Into the air! Tailwind, blow the Poison Gas back in their direction! Aria, Glide, Rock Slide!"

To my horror, the rocks from our Rock Slide were forcefully blown away with an explosive force that got us to temporarily scatter. The purple hair Rocket looked up at me from below with a grin that really gives me the chills. By his side are many poison types that are looking at us with a predatory gaze.

Combat is not what Rangers specialise in and we have protocols to dictate when and where we can and cannot run away from battles when things turn to shit. This is one scenario that I can totally turn tail and run without anybody blaming me for it but considering what just happened to our nation and what will happen to Blackthorn should no one keep this Rocket in check, I still decided otherwise.

Thousands of lives are at stake. I cannot risk leaving this Rocket alone simply because I am afraid.

I am a Ranger first and foremost. To protect the delicate peace between humans and pokemon, that is my job. As a Ranger of the 1st Ranger Regiment, I am supposed to embody that very statement and if there is one thing that I take pride in, it is that I am _damn good_ in my job.

So, I will stall this Rocket long enough for someone skilled enough to defeat him. As long as the Rocket is unable to continue with his attempt to conduct a gassing on Blackthorn, the situation will always be in my favour.

Although it does not change the fact that I am really in a difficult situation.

Given the big din we created in that few exchanges of blows I had with the Rocket, I'm sure that even without that SOS signal I had just sent Volkner, someone must be coming over to investigate soon. I can only hope that whoever is coming will be someone reliable that can bail us out of the situation.

A Rocket of this calibre must be stopped before things escalated to a point of no return. He cannot be allowed to continue to roam free any further, not when dark and chaotic days are sure to descend upon Indigo after what has just happened at Indigo Plateau live on TV.

My job as a Ranger is to protect the delicate peace between human and pokemon. My codename may be Zephyr, a soft and gentle breeze, but that doesn't mean it cannot change into a raging hurricane capable of ridding everything to shreds. I don't like violence, but that doesn't mean I will shy away from it.

If I have to be a raging cyclone to do my job as a Ranger, then so be it.

* * *

This… is _really _not what Petrel had in mind when his turn came for him to play a part in Operation Skip.

Like, it's supposed to be _simple_. All he had to do is to infiltrate the stadium and attend the celebrations at Indigo Plateau. His men are all there, the disguise and infiltration unit. They took over the control room and once he was satisfied that his men had things handled, he took his leave to prepare for the siege on Blackthorn, the hometown of Johto's Dragon Tamers.

But somehow, as if Indigo knew about their plans beforehand, most of his men got silently taken down one after the other shortly before the Second Phase can be officially put into motion. _Technically_, Team Rocket still succeeded in reaching their objectives, but the impact is not as great as he had expected it to be because without him knowing it his entire unit had been reduced to just a fraction of the original number. When he got wind about that unexpected development he had already left the Indigo Plateau for Blackthorn, so there's nothing he could do about it other than placing his faith in Plague that he can make the most out of it.

In any case, the situation is still heavily in Team Rocket's favour, that is the most important part.

Still, he cannot help but puzzle over the fact that the latest reports from Indigo Plateau had mentioned something about Elesa and Volkner helping Indigo's Elite Four in restraining Mewtwo. And then there was that report from Blackthorn that Flint was spotted there and helping Clair too. It is one reason why Petrel chose to gas the city instead of heading in directly to conquer it through brute force. He knows he's strong, but a fight with a Gym Leader or an Elite Four is not something he needs right now.

And come to think about it, isn't it weird? Suddenly members of the Thirteen Pillars from different regions just popped up and helped Indigo like kind hearted samaritans, at the right place and at the right time too.

So here he was, minding his own business, using a method that would be the most painless for his victims and yet also the most efficient in clearing out an entire city to ensure a swift victory for the organisation. He'd like to think that out of all his fellow Executives, he's the kindest when it comes to his methods. If it were up to, say, Proton, he would not have hesitated in brutally freezing the entire Blackthorn into a gigantic ice cube before painfully shattering it into a million pieces.

Poison can be dangerous, but they can also make death swift and painless. That in itself is a form of mercy.

However, his plans cannot be stopped now. Not for him, but for the organisation which he had swore his life to. For the leader which he had chosen and swore to follow for the rest of his life without hesitation.

Team Rocket cannot be allowed to fail. Not today, not now, and definitely not in the future.

For the sake of their dreams, their shared beliefs.

That Ranger was getting dangerously close to figuring out his location and the last thing he needs is for anyone with the power and skills of a Pillar to seek him out. So, he intercepted that Ranger with a large cloud of Poison Gas so thick that it forced her to land lest she wanted to fly face first into the cloud of toxic. He cursed his luck once more when he saw that the Ranger is merely a child. A child in her teens, yes, but _still_ a child.

Carrie would be around her age right now if she were still alive. Okay, _maybe _a few years older or younger than this Ranger, he cannot really tell for sure. It was Carrie's dream to be a Ranger to help save every human and pokemon. Fate sure is a cruel thing, to pit him against a _Ranger _who is a _female _who is a _child_.

And so, he let himself be uncharacteristically nice for once and offered the Ranger a way out. Leave him alone, keep mum about what she saw, and she gets out unscathed. A great deal, right? Win-win situation for everyone. He was planning to uphold his end of the deal too unlike what he usually does when he goes around doing unlawful acts as Executive Petrel of Team Rocket, because he seeing this girl somehow reminded him of Carrie. He really is getting sentimental.

His little baby Carrie. His little sunshine.

The girl was obviously trying to buy time to either stall him or to think of a plan to escape. It doesn't matter to him either way, so he indulged her curiosity when she asked him questions he wasn't obliged to answer. That Whirlwind and Hurricane really blew him off his feet though. It's been a long while since he felt such a strong gust of wind.

And when it became obvious to him that the girl has no intention of following any of his suggestions, well, he's forced to be a little more rough on this Ranger. He really doesn't want to kill her or anything. Even in his years in the organisation the one group of people he will never kill had always been children, especially young girls. _Maybe _he would kill a pokemon or two in her team to ensure she cannot fight back, _maybe _more than that if she proved herself to be too troublesome to be taken down, but he never had the intention of killing her.

Not when Carrie should be like this Ranger right now, a Ranger going about saving lives like how she wanted to be when she grew up.

It's all _Indigo's _fault that his baby girl is no longer able to do so.

"Sludge Bomb!"

As one, his team of poison types launched a salvo of venomous projectiles. The girl and her pokemon had decided to stop running and fight back. She had made her resolve then. She is definitely not planning to let things be and is going to stop him using any means necessary. If she has a working brain, she will be thinking of how to call for reinforcements and get them to their location. This is not a battle that he wants to take part in for too long. The longer this drags on, the higher the risk that the girl might successfully convey her location to someone else.

So how is he going to end this as soon as possible without accidentally killing the little Ranger girl? Hmm…

The Ranger's flying types had dispersed the Sludge Bomb with their own volley of Air Slash while he was idly musing over his options. He is really in a pickle. Poison types are not really the best typing you want to use if you want to do a non-lethal takedown. This is why he always left these kinds of things to his subordinates or to Proton and Plague. Proton can just freeze anybody he wants to capture and Plague is all about precision.

As for poison types? All they care about is to let you rot from the corrosive venom and die as soon as possible in the ugliest way available. They are the very definition of lethal and they don't do precise.

This is _really _a pickle.

"Gastro Acid! Take away their options!"

He's no expert on pokemon abilities but taking any abilities away from the pesky flying types will definitely be a good thing for him. Arbok is a pro in this move but the problem is that these are _flying types _they are facing. They are so damn fast in the skies and near impossible to pin down. Physical attacks are not an option because they are out of their reach. Any ranged attacks his poison types throw their way got easily dispersed with a blast of wind. The Ranger is playing the waiting game by playing defensively, obviously waiting for reinforcements to arrive or a chance to make a breakthrough and run for it. Maybe she is planning to escape in order to tell someone else where the toxic gas originated from? That is also a plan to consider.

This is really too damn troublesome, all because of him and his reluctance to hurt children. Yes, this girl is still considered a child in his eyes even if she is obviously over fifteen years old. He doesn't care what anybody else says. Anybody that is not over the age of twenty one is still a child to him.

If ranged attacks are not going to work, then he has no choice but to get physical.

"Garbodor, Gunk Shot! Beedrill, crobat, clip their wings and bring them down! Nidoking, Rock Slide!"

His poison types acknowledged his orders as they did exactly what he told them to. With Rock Slide from above, Gunk Shot from below, Beedrill and crobat running interference from within, the girl and her annoying flying types should drop down in about three, two, on-

Not.

Wow, she's _good_. How is she and all her flying types evading everything like that in midair? That's hella impressive! Super cool!

He narrowed his eyes a little when he spotted the pidgeot doing a Feather Dance. Not like it will have much of an impact when the difference between their pokemon's skill levels are that big, but it definitely will be annoying to fight her with such a handicap. Now that's _not_ cool.

A flurry of Air Cutter and Air Slash rained down at him which his tentacruel blocked and returned with a Mirror Coat. He really needs to do something about her flying types' mobility. Gassing the skies with poison had already proved to be only a temporary measure with flying types like dragonite and noivern within her team. To stop this stalemate from going on, he needs to make it physical and restrict her movements.

"Salazzle, Flame Burst. Cage them in but try not to fry her."

Columns of fire burst from the ground and into the air, trapping the girl's flying types within a fiery box. Beedrill and crobat rushed in for the decisive blow and immediately dropped the emolga and hawlucha, forcing the Ranger to recall them back into their pokeballs. They would have dropped the jumpluff as well if it wasn't for that annoying masquerain.

"Tino, Surf!"

"Eh, soak it all up, toxicroak."

Petrel's toxicroak utilised its Dry Skin ability and prevented the Dragonite from putting out salazzle's flames. His venusaur used this chance to fire a Solar Beam, clipping the skarmory's wings a little as nidoking used this chance to leap into the air to prepare for a Smack Down. A Supersonic from the aerodactyl caused his nidoking to falter and fall back down to the ground. Huh,_ aerodactyl?_ How did she even get herself one of these living fossils?

A Stored Power released from the sigilyph got him on instant alert as it sent his own crobat spiralling. The girl's own crobat was on it in an instant, roasting his crobat with a Heat Wave. Nothing his own crobat cannot recover from but it really is getting annoying.

"Weezing, Thunderbolt them down. Skuntank, Flamethrower."

His weezing wasted no time in firing huge arcs of electricity to force the girl and her flying types to scramble while skuntank assisted with Flamethrower. The aerodactyl dove down with a Sky Attack as his arbok slithered ahead to meet its charge.

Petrel cannot help but sigh as his arbok and the aerodactyl began to duke it out. Is there another way to convince this Ranger to just _go away quietly _and leave him alone? There must be a better way out of this, right?

Or if he just gets a _little _more violent and takes down all her pokemon in rapid succession? Will that be more convincing?

Never hurts to try.

"Kill that aerodactyl! Muk! Venusaur!"

On cue, his muk leapt forward in an attempt to bodily curl itself around the aerodactyl as his venusaur grew thick vines to snare the aerodactyl. The aerodactyl unleashed a powerful Heat Wave that blew muk away while burning the vines down, preventing them from getting near it.

That aerodactyl should really look _downwards _though.

Right on time, nidoking appeared right below the aerodactyl and hit it with a nasty Thunderbolt. An Iron Tail swiftly knocked it out and Petrel watched in delight as another of those annoying flying types was forced to return to its pokeball. How many of those flying types are left? One, two, three… nine? Huh, that's still a lot.

"Weezing, Smokescreen! Rest of you, Poison Sting!"

Obscuring the girl's view of them proved to be the right choice because they are now forced to disperse the Smokescreen as fast as possible while trying to avoid the barrage of poisoned needles. With that, he had bought himself a small window of opportunity for his toxicroak to leap into the air and get the drop on the jumpluff. A Poison Jab took it out for the count. It's obvious that the Ranger is starting to panic.

Eight left.

"Salazzle, keep up the heat!"

The girl's sigilyph would be turning the entire place upside down with Psychic if it wasn't for his skuntank running interference and preventing them from getting caught up in it as well. Salazzle is still working on permanently trapping them into a fiery prison so that they can all finally get this over and done with. She might lose a pokemon or two in the process, but he is sure that the Ranger can get out of salazzle's trap before she gets cooked alive, so it's a win-win for him. He gets to finish his job, she lives. It's a happily ever after ending.

However, he is starting to suspect that the girl had somehow called for reinforcements a long time ago and is simply trying to buy them for them to arrive. If that is really the case, now is the time to run before more reinforcements from the League arrives. They had made the show a little too flashy and it is just a moment of time before he gets surrounded or something unfortunate like that.

"Beats, Mean Look!"

Aw man, **_why?!_**

The dragonite forcefully charged through the wall of flames with what he recognised as Extreme Speed and his nidoking went forward to block its charge. An Ice Beam was fired at the rampaging dragon but the dragon braved through the assault while using Roost, mitigating the damage received. A noivern blasted a Dragon Pulse at them from afar and tried to separate him from his pokemon. Well, it would have worked if it wasn't for Venusaur literally growing a forest of thick vines to block the attack. He trained his beloved venusaur a little too well, it seems.

"Weezing, Shock Wave! Crobat, Assurance!"

With a single zap from his weezing, the Ranger's crobat was barely managing to hover in the air. The Assurance from his beedrill took it out soon after. There, Mean Look gone and problem solved.

The skarmory is hot on arbok's heels as it fired a series of Air Cutters to presumably bisect his precious pokemon into two but arbok's too well-trained for that. At least, this skarmory doesn't have what it takes to take on his arbok. The girl is a good enough combatant for a trainer and definitely good enough to be classified somewhere in the mid or upper class of the Elite level trainers, but she isn't a _pro_.

That alone makes a lot of difference. The skill gap between an ordinary Elite trainer like her and a pro Elite trainer like a Gym Leader can be as wide as the distance between regions and even _further_.

He was once somebody who was the reigning champion of the underworld tournament for three years. It takes more than a simple Ranger to put him down. The Indigo would need at least a small army of them and even then, it might not even be enough.

He is a _Poison Specialist_. Taking on a large group of foes and playing the long game is his specialty. Ah, if only his little sunshine can see how cool her papa is now.

"Let's wrap this up. Acid Spray! Get all of them!"

He watched with fascination as the girl's flying types did impossible twists and turns once more while firing blasts of air to escape the rain of falling purple acid. What did Plague always like to say? Close the curtains, was it? Plague always did have a flair for the dramatics when he's involved in an exciting battle. The report on how he snubbed Falkner and Pyral in the face had him laughing for a solid ten minutes when he first read it. The Acid Spray does look like a large beautiful curtain of falling acid if you ignore the smell. Nothing as mesmerising or dramatic as what he remembered seeing from Plague's zoroark and what it can do with Night Daze but well, nothing can be done about that.

By now, he's convinced that the girl had somehow found time to call for reinforcements while he wasn't paying attention. It's no longer safe to stay here. Time to run.

His venusaur pulling him aside with its vines was the only thing that saved him as powerful bolts of lightning rained down around him, trapping him in as his surroundings blew up in miniature electrical explosions. Another huge blast of fire burned up the area that was supposed to be his retreat route. Ah crap. _Who _is it now?

His arbok hissing a pained cry caught his attention and he watched in shock as his darling arbok got its body sliced into two. An infernape swooped down and tried to attack him, only to be blocked by his muk. Was that a Shadow Claw that cleaved his arbok into two? That was really one powerful Shadow Claw if he did say so himself.

His arbok hissed irritatedly as it immediately grew out the missing portion of its body, the high regenerative characteristics of its species kicking in. In the wild, arbok often purposely cut away their tails behind to distract their predators and are able to control the discarded portion to a certain degree for some time after the amputation. Natural selection soon made it favourable for arboks who are capable of high speed regeneration after cutting their tails off and these are the more commonly seen arbok variants today. A wound of that level cannot put his arbok down but he has to make sure his arbok wouldn't be forced to make use of its regenerative abilities over and over again. There is a limit to how much it can regrow.

His right eye cannot help but twitch in annoyance when he sees just _who_ he is facing. Flint of Sinnoh, an _Elite Four_. Oh _this _is bad news alright. Why the hell are foreign Thirteen Pillars so actively involved in Indigo's affairs anyway? How did Flint even track him down- oh, that showy display earlier. Either that, or the Ranger had pulled a trick somehow.

Shit, he had dallied here for too long because of his reluctance to hurt children and it's now here to bite him in the ass.

"Ranger, leave this Rocket to me. I will bring this guy in. Meanwhile, send a message to your higher ups. Executive Petrel of Team Rocket is at Route 44 and that Flint had engaged him in battle."

Oh no no _nononono _NO damn way he's going to let anyone call for anymore reinforcements. A single Elite Four is enough trouble for him.

"Don't let her escape! Crobat, Mean-"

"Mach Punch!"

Flint's infernape beat him to the punch, quite literally, when the infernape closed the distance in the blink of an eye and punched his crobat out of the air. Flint's fire types enclosed them in with a ring of fire and Petrel frowned. He's confident in his strength but Flint is an _Elite Four._ Give him any Gym Leader and he could probably hold his own just fine. An Elite Four? Now this is a _little _more than just a _little _pickle. To make things worse, Flint is a Fire Specialist. A Fire Specialist on Flint's level can only spell certain trouble for him.

Type advantage wise, fire and poison do not hold any advantage over the other. However, most poison and sludge that poison types produce are flammable in nature. That alone restricted the options he can use. Should he run to catch up to the Ranger and prevent her from running away and call for reinforcements, or cut his losses and try his best to escape Flint?

The answer is pretty obvious. Nothing he can do about the Ranger now. The only silver lining in this situation is that he doesn't have to hold back against Flint because Flint is not a child.

"Toxic Spikes! Poison Gas!"

Tentacruel immediately spread the Toxic Spikes out to mark out a safe boundary for the team as his team employed Poison Gas once more. Poison Gas can be specially modified to be highly flammable. With the amount of naked flames Flint's fire types are waving about?

_Boom_

He wasn't disappointed. That alone is more than enough to buy enough time for him to make his getaway.

Of course, things didn't really go as planned because his luck is just that bad. A talonflame that was soaring in the air wasn't caught in the blast and flew down to rain fireballs at poor old him. Crobat did bat a few of those flaming hot things away but _damn_. He could feel the heat even from here! _It's really freaking **hot!**_

A stream of flames coming their way forced him to command his garbodor to block it after using a quick Amnesia. Flint's magmortar strode out of the blast with a nasty looking grin on its face before pointing both its cannon arms at him.

Ah crap crap_ crap crap crap this is so super not cool-_

A bigger boom erupted as the magmortar blew up the area he was at. Garbodor had started a Rain Dance in an attempt to douse Flint's fire types a little but honestly, it doesn't really seem that it affected them all that much. The amount of sheer firepower Flint and his fire type possess is not something he can match. Among the known 18 different pokemon typings, fire is one of the most destructive and dangerous to control. However, once you get both the destruction and the control part down pat, you are going to be a nasty opponent for all of your foes.

This is one matchup that he really doesn't need right now.

"Toxic!"

The magmortar had cleared the area of any Toxic Spikes by creating that massive explosion earlier. If he wants a chance of even carving a way out of here, then he needs to poison Flint's pokemon somehow. Gassing them won't work since the heat from the infernos they are creating will just create a strong gust of hot wind to blow everything away. Toxic Spikes had failed spectacularly so all that's left is to forcefully inject the poison through physical contact. Once the poison is running in the fire types' bloodstream things will get easier for him and all he needs to do is to wait it out.

"Inferno!"

Oh hot _hot hot hot HOT!_

That was definitely the hottest Inferno he had ever experienced. Just that one attack by Flint's rapidash, houndoom, and chandelure was enough to push his entire team back. Not even his tentacruel can put out those flames as quickly as it usually should.

"Hey, can we make a deal?!" Petrel found himself shouting at Flint as they both commanded their pokemon to battle against each other. "You let me go and I don't poison you?!"

It's a really bad deal in all honesty. If he were in Flint's shoes even he wouldn't accept it but it never hurts to try, right?

"How about _you _surrender and I don't burn _you _into a crisp? Flamethrower!"

Oh well, he tried.

Petrel gritted his teeth as he commanded his nidoking to temporarily raise a wall of stone with Stone Edge to block these fiery hot flames for a moment. His team is not made to fight against an extremely well-trained team of fire types. He is no stranger to facing fire types in battle but none of them he had ever seen or fought against are as insanely powerful as Flint's. That magmortar alone can easily evaporate his muk if he wasn't careful.

Petrel sighed. It's always fighting against fire types that he has to be extremely cautious, simply because of the unfortunate hidden weakness of the flammability of the sludge that most poison types use. Psychic types are another form of headache but at least that is easily solved if you disrupt their focus with dark or ghost type techniques. Against an inferno as hot as Flint's? Even an entire lake of water might not be enough to fully douse it. In fact, it is more likely that Flint could evaporate it faster than he can blink.

Today is really not his day.

There is only one way to turn the tide in his favour. With Mega Evolution, his venusaur would become Mega Venusaur and gain the Thick Fat ability, offering it protection from the heat. It may be just what he needs to make his getaway.

"Venusaur, we are doing it!"

Venusaur acknowledged his orders with a bellow and as one, the both of them invoked the process of Mega Evolution. Flint was obviously a little taken aback by the sudden change in the flow of battle but Petrel knows that it would take more than this to beat Flint back.

Is Mewtwo done with massacring the Indigo Elite Four already? This is the moment where they need its power dammit!

"Earthquake!"

His Mega Venusaur unleashed a powerful Earthquake that fell all the trees in the area. Most of them are already burning from the fire Flint's fire types are spewing out but nevermind, the state of Route 44's forestation is not what he cares about right now.

"Give up, Petrel! Hand yourself over and I won't be forced to take extreme measures!_ I am an **Elite Four!**_ Even with Mega Evolution, you still cannot beat me!"

_"Hey papa! Papa! You are strong, right?_

_"Uh, yeah? Papa's really really strong!"_

_"Like super cool kind of strong?"_

_"Yeah! Super cool kind of strong!"_

_"Will you be like, uh, an Elite Four one day?"_

_"For my little sunshine, I can even strive to be the almighty Champion! How's that?"_

_"Cool!"_

Come to think about it, he never did get a chance to show his little sunshine how strong her super cool papa is. Might as well start now. Carrie must be watching her papa from somewhere right now.

"Sludge Wave!"

His poison types belched out a massive tidal wave of sludge which Flint's fire types immediately got to work on burning it away before it can drench them all and poison them. It is the perfect opening they need as his physical fighters rushed in and immediately hit as many fire types as they could with Poison Jab.

There. Now it's his turn to make a play.

"Venoshock! Take them down!"

The effect was obvious when even Flint's fire types flinched from the inflicted pain of Venoshock. With Venoshock available, things will go a lot more smoother for him. He might be able to even bring down an Elite Four if he played his cards right.

"Lava Plume!"

"Mega Venusaur!"

With Thick Fat and Amnesia available, he now has a fireproof wall in the form of Mega Venusaur. Not only that, Mega Venusaur has a range of recovery moves at its disposal. This is his answer to problematic fire types. With Mega Venusaur, he stands a chance against Fire Specialists the likes of Flint.

"Don't let them rest! Nidoking! Earth Power! Don't allow them to even have a place to stand!"

Nidoking ruptured the ground around Flint and his fire types with Earth Power as his team immediately followed up by spraying a toxic volley of Sludge Bomb. Flint's rapidash broke through the assault and hit nidoking with a Flare Blitz, pushing it back. Petrel tried his best to ignore the sweat dripping down his forehead as he commanded his poison types to press on. The toxin will slowly work its course within Flint's pokemon. He just has to hang on till then. Playing the long game is his specialty.

For his daughter, for Giovanni, for his comrades, for the glory of Team Rocket, for their beloved motherland. He _cannot_ lose. He won't allow himself to lose.

He had already lost too much.

_"What do you mean incurable?! She's only four! Four! How is she suddenly stuck with an incurable-"_

He was a talented trainer. His ego got into his head from all the wins he snatched under his belt since he first became a trainer. He had a lot of so-called bros and got himself acquainted with too many sluts who just want to latch onto his success by allowing him to get in between their legs. He had a drink too many and fucked around one too many times. All he knew was that he became a father at the young age of seventeen years old, not even a legal adult. He didn't even know which slut he fucked that resulted in him becoming a father. All he knew was that he found a crying baby on his doorstep one fine morning with a note saying that it's his. The blood test he took confirmed that the child is indeed his flesh and blood.

He didn't want to be a father, but one look at his baby daughter's face and his heart melted faster than what his poison types' acid could do. He decided to keep her and raise her as best as he can.

For his little sunshine, he will be the best papa in the world. A super cool one, the coolest papa in the world. It doesn't matter even if she doesn't have a mother because he will be such a good father that his little girl would never think that she needed a mother.

He named his little girl Carrie. Carrie Amon, that was her name.

"Garbodor, tentacruel! Wall them! We are playing the game like we always do! Don't give them the time to rest and heal! Beedrill, toxicroak! Go for the kill!"

"Heat Wave, cremate them!"

At the young age of four, his little sunshine was diagnosed with a rare and incurable disease. The medical costs were hefty. Trying to keep his baby girl alive was costing everything he had even with the amount of money he rakes in from the large number of Elite trainers he challenged on a weekly basis.

_"Papa? Am I dying?"_

_"W-Who said that?! Your papa will kick their a- er, behind! You will be okay, Carrie! You said you want to be a Ranger, right? So sleep well and eat well and you will recover in no time! Your papa said so so it will happen, got it?!"_

_"Papa? Did you almost just say a bad word?"_

_"N-No! Since when?! That's so not cool! Super not cool!"_

He likes to see his little girl smile and so like a clown, he often acted in the most comical of ways to get her to laugh. He wants his baby girl to be happy and to be always smiling. He saw how awed she was when she saw some random person on TV showing off their disguise skills, able to switch from one face to the next.

So that was exactly what he learnt. He kept her entertained and distracted from the pain of her sickness by disguising himself into any person his little girl wanted to see him transform into.

_"Uh, Lance! Lance! The Champion!"_

_"Okay, one Dragon Master coming right uppppp and... TADA!"_

_"Wow! It's almost like the real thing! Papa's so cool!"_

_"Of course I am! I'm your super cool papa!"_

It was hard to find a decent job that pays well while enabling him the time to take care of his little sunshine. He really needs the money and he knows his precious little girl will be scared if he isn't around to keep her company. She doesn't like to be alone or to be with strangers. Out of desperation to earn enough to pay for his daughter's hefty medical bills, he soon found his way into underground tournaments.

Underground tournaments are where life and death battles are held. It was what paid for his baby girl's medical fees for three years as he held the top position for that same length of time. He earned the moniker of Toxic Mask because of his skills in commanding poison types and his abilities to switch disguises at the drop of a hat.

Disguises that nobody could see through. That was the claim he made and till date, nobody had ever managed to make him take those words back.

For his little girl, winning his battles was the only option. In order to win the tournaments he participated in, all he had to do was to quickly poison his opponent's pokemon and let them rot to death as soon as possible and then he can collect the large sum of prize money before quickly going back home to keep his baby girl company. Carrie loves how fluffy skuntank is so he would often leave his skuntank at home to keep his baby girl company and to also protect her in his absence.

"Your poison won't work against me, Petrel! Trap them in, Fire Spin!"

"Don't insult poison types! Poison types are **_super cool,_** lousy hair! Salazzle, Venom Drench!"

"My hair **isn't **lousy! It's afro! AFRO!"

_"Poison types are like super cool, papa! I want to be a Poison Specialist like you too! Can I? Can I?"_

_"Of course you can! I will get the best doctor I can find to heal you like a magical fairy and then you can be whatever you want! You will be the best Ranger in the world!"_

_"Rangers save lives, right? The upholder and protector of the delicate peace between humans and pokemon! That's what the TV ad says!"_

_"Uh huh! You can save lives with poison types too! Want me to teach you?"_

_"Really? That's super cool!"_

To be a Ranger is to save lives. However, poison types specialise in doing the very opposite. Still, his little sunshine had a dream. She wants to be the best Ranger while being the best Poison Specialist. She wanted to follow in her papa's footsteps and make him very super proud of her. He promised that he will give his little girl all the help he needs. They even did a pinky promise.

But first, he needs to find a way to make that incurable disease curable. He needs the money to find the best doctor available. If Indigo doesn't have what he needs, then he will scour for a cure even if it means travelling to the other faraway regions.

So, his stay in the underground tournament continued in his quest to earn more money. Even then, the medical costs just keep rising and his little girl's condition just won't get any better.

_"Sir, you and your daughter don't qualify for the financial aid scheme-"_

_"**What** do you mean **we **don't **QUALIFY?!** I am also a citizen of Indigo just like you! We should be insured!"_

_"You are using the medical services of the Johto region, sir. You and your daughter's citizenship is Kantonian. Kantonians don't enjoy the benefits of being insured under this plan and neither do Kantonians qualify for the financial aid scheme if the medical services are provided in Johto."_

_"Wha-" _

He remembered going home to surf the web and immediately checked for the validity of that ridiculous statement. Due to Johto's climate being more mild and favourable to Carrie's frail health, he and his little sunshine had moved to stay in Johto. The fact that Johto's healthcare services are a lot more advanced than Kanto's was another reason.

What he doesn't get is the preferential treatment Johtonians enjoy over Kantonians. Kantonians don't enjoy the same medical and healthcare benefits in Johto as they do in Kanto, but Johtonians still enjoy the same priority and benefits in both regions.

Pardon his language for once, but _what the fuck?_

Aren't they _all _citizens of Indigo?! Don't they all pay the _same_ taxes?! So **_why?!_** His little girl doesn't even have the priority to see the doctor the moment a Johtonian cuts into the waiting line for a goddamn harmless common cold! For **_what _**fucking reason is that the case?!

He did a little digging using his contacts in the underworld. As it turns out, Indigo may be a nation made up of two regions, but the population sizes are different. There are significantly more Johtonians than Kantonians in Indigo. So if you are a no good politician who is only concerned with retaining your position of power through votes, which side do you appeal to?

It's obvious. Johtonians.

As a result, many unfair policies and treatments were institutionalised as law in Indigo over the years. Little by little, the subtle implementation of unfair rules seeped in like untraceable poison. Such things became so common that people no longer notice it until the poison finally reaches the lethal dosage. The stupid healthcare policy that affected his unfortunate daughter was one.

_"Papa? I'm fine, see? So don't stress out too much over me, okay?"_

_"Papa's fine, Carrie. I'm super cool, remember?"_

Carrie's not fine. She grew up too fast because of her sickness. She doesn't want her super cool papa to worry so she acts like she's fine when she's not.

"Burn them down! Fiery Dance! Fire Blast!"

"Mega Venusaur, Ingrain, Synthesis! Block the blow!" He hid behind his trusty Mega Venusaur as he said that and gave his team his next commands. "Arbok, restrain the houndoom! Wrap!"

"Fuse, Shell Trap!" Flint barked as a humongous turtonator defended the houndoom from harm. "Bel, Dark Pulse!"

Due to Kanto's lack of medical infrastructure and ill-equipped hospitals, he and his little sunshine was forced to remain in Johto and he was forced to continue bearing the exorbitant medical bills there. There was no help given to him by the government. The medical costs continue to rise. It slowly got to the point that even the money he earned from the underground tournament isn't enough.

If he were any lesser being, Carrie would have died a long time ago. Reason? The medical bill is the one killing them instead and the fact that they are born to be _Kantonians_. _Kantonians _don't enjoy this, _Kantonians _don't enjoy that, but Johtonians do. Why?

You are a _Kantonian_.

What a load of shit. So much for the _Two Regions One Nation_ slogan that the Indigo likes to declare to the entire world.

In desperation, he asked his underground contacts if there's a way to earn even _more_ money. They pointed him to the rapidly emerging underground group known as Team Rocket. If he can work his way up to the upper echelons of the criminal organisation, he can definitely earn enough to pay off his little girl's medical fees.

He knows that the moment he walked this path it will be a path of no return. But for his little girl, he will make his way up to the highest rank achievable, Executive. He discarded his birth name of Henrik Amon and picked a codename of Petrel, simply because his sunshine said that it sounded cool.

Till this day, he has no regrets.

His strength, wits, charisma, skills at disguise and infiltration soon earned him recognition in that backstabbing hellhole. Combined with his prior reputation as the undefeatable reigning champion of the underground tournament, it soon garnered the attention of the true leader of Team Rocket, Giovanni.

At no point in his wildest dreams did he ever imagine that a _Gym Leader_ would be the leader of one of the largest terrorist groups in the world, but he doesn't care. All he cares about is his sunshine.

_"I heard you have a daughter, Petrel."_

_"I do, Sir."_

_"I heard about your daughter's condition. Team Rocket rewards those who serve the organisation with undying loyalty, Petrel. Give me a week, I will arrange for your daughter to be moved into a private hospital under our organisation's control. You would not need to pay a single penny. Team Rocket will bear all her medical costs." _

_"S-Sir?"_

It was like a dream come true.

_"She will be given the best medical care in the world, Petrel. Not only that, Team Rocket **will **find a way to cure whatever is ailing her, that I promise you. Not just a promise from a leader to his subordinate, but also from a friend to a friend. All of my Executives are my trusted friends and comrades, Petrel, do not forget that. I will do anything for a friend. You are my trusted friend and that's why I will treat your daughter as if she's my own."_

He could tell Giovanni wasn't lying, not a single bit. He was moved by the sincerity of Giovanni's words and the actions he took. He swore his undying loyalty to Giovanni right there and then.

_"Another hospital…?"_

_"This time, you won't be moving around anymore. Papa found a very very very very good hospital that has a very very very very high chance to make you healthy again. No more sickness. Like, woosh! Gone! Ain't that cool?"_

_"But the money…"_

_"Don't worry about the money, sunshine. Papa got it all settled, promise."_

His little girl is really too mature for her age to be worrying about money at the age of nine.

_"Really?"_

_"Since when did papa lie to you? Just one week, sunshine. One more week and you will be in the safest place you can be. It will also be easier for papa to visit you. In fact, I can come over to visit you almost everyday in that new hospital! Isn't that great?"_

_"Really?! I can see you almost everyday?"_

_"Really!"_

_"Cool!"_

There was a particular tricky infiltration mission that needed his skills at disguise and infiltration. He said a quick farewell to his little baby girl before going off, saying that her papa is going to be out of the region for a few days due to his new work. Her super cool papa just got himself a _promotion_, see?! That's why!

It's just a few days, that was what he reassured her before he went off doing unlawful acts behind his daughter's back. When he comes back it will be just in time for him to shift her into the new hospital Giovanni promised him. Within that promised one week, Giovanni even bought the most advanced medical equipment for the hospital his little sunshine will be moving into because his daughter's medical condition needed very specific and expensive medical equipment to stop her health from worsening. Giovanni promised him a week because a week was the shortest length of time needed to procure those medical equipment.

For that alone, Giovanni has his eternal gratitude. He will never forget the kindness Giovanni extended to him.

Who said terrorists are evil? In his eyes, terrorists are kinder than his own government because in his greatest time of need, the one who extended a hand to help him and his sunshine is Giovanni and Team Rocket. The government which is supposed to protect him and his little girl never helped even when they are law abiding citizens. To second class citizens like them, abiding the law gets you nowhere and only leads you to certain death.

Then, it happened.

It was just one day before Carrie was to be moved into that new hospital. He had only just successfully completed his mission when he received a call from Giovanni himself. He rushed back immediately. His leader was right at the front of the operating room, sitting on the bench outside with a worried frown on his face. The doors of the operating room were closed and the light was lit up, signalling that somebody was inside undergoing surgery.

_"S-Sir?! W-What-"_

_"I called you as soon as I got wind of it, Henrik. Take a deep breath. I used my influence to get the doctors to operate on her right away the moment I knew about it. There's still hope."_

_"Shouldn't they operate on her **the moment** she had a **relapse?!**"_

_"It was unfortunate, but a Johtonian was given priority to the Operating Room. He was wheeled in shortly after your daughter's relapse happened."_

_"The fuck?! Carrie's relapse is no joke! Everyone in the hospital knows this! If no medical help is given within ten minutes of her relapse **she WILL DIE!**"_

_"I need you to CALM DOWN, Henrik! I managed to get them to wheel her in before the crucial ten minutes were up! All is not lost yet!"_

_"S-Sorry, Sir, I…"_

_"It's fine. I understand."_

_"...Why? Why the difference? We are citizens of Indigo too. We pay the same taxes, breathe the same air, use the same road. Why is it always Johtonians over us? Why do they always have priority for everything even if they don't need it but we do? Just… why?"_

He had been wanting to ask this question for a long long time.

Why?

_"As sad as it is to admit it, you know about the inequality that exists between Kanto and Johto, Henrik. It's not just the Kanto ban or the corruption in the cabinet. The corruption seeps into our nation's healthcare laws and policies as well. Kantonians simply don't enjoy the same **basic **healthcare services that we are entitled to even if we are all citizens of Indigo. All because of the dirty political games the Johtonian ministers purposely play to hold onto their seats of power."_

_"Bast- I will give them a piece of my mind! Let me go! I will **kill **them!"_

_"Henrik! Don't be rash!"_

It was an excruciating eight hour long wait. Giovanni kept him company throughout the entire time. When he saw his little sunshine again, she had left this world before him.

That just wasn't right.

His little sunshine is supposed to be smiling at him, not sleeping away in an eternal slumber. If medical aid was given to her in time when her relapse happened, if Kanto had the same high-end medical services that Johto has, if Kantonians enjoy the same healthcare benefits that Johtonians enjoy in the first place, she might not have...

She was only _nine_.

His sunshine was the one who brightened up his world. With her gone, his world descended into the darkness. He didn't get the chance to teach her what he knew like he promised. He didn't get the chance to see her grow into a splendid Ranger like he promised. He didn't get the chance to show his little girl that he can take on an Elite Four and even go toe-to-toe against a Champion like he promised. He was supposed to show his sunshine how super cool her papa is but he never got the chance.

All because of some stupid preferential treatment of Johtonians over Kantonians. It's _always _Johtonians first then Kantonians second. Kantonians had _always _lived like second class citizens.

**_Always_**

Giovanni was right. Kanto had always been suffering under the tyranny of the Indigo who were being led by corrupt Johtonians. Indigo will never spare a thought for Kantonians because they are not Johtonians like the bulk of the Indigo cabinet. The economic inequality that lasted for the past 500 years said it all.

As Team Rocket's Executive, Petrel knew the true purpose of Team Rocket. To free Kanto from Indigo's tyranny is their true purpose. Like Giovanni, he wants to see Kanto's children smiling and happy just like how Carrie used to smile at him all the time. He wants to see them grow up happy and healthy, long enough to grow up into proper adults and fulfil their dreams. He could not protect Carrie's dream and he failed as a father. That is not something he would want to wish upon anyone.

After he was done mourning for Carrie, he made a vow. He will ensure that no father will fail their children again, not in their homeland. That is the promise he made to himself.

For that end, he worked hard. He poured everything for this endeavour. Majority of the schools in Kanto that were secretly set up by Team Rocket over the years were mostly managed by him, and so are the hospitals and childcares. He himself had done many dirty deeds to ensure that Kanto's healthcare standards have been greatly improved. It's still nowhere near as he liked it to be, but it's still a lot better than before.

Like Giovanni, he feels that Kanto's children are Kanto's future. So, they will protect Kanto's future at whatever costs necessary, even if it means becoming a hated terrorist.

"Scorch! Now! Let's do this!"

Petrel watches on as Flint and his charizard invoke their Mega Evolution as well and a Charizard Y now joins the battle. Finally using that power? Is that how Flint wants to play this game?

Mega Venusaur blocked Charizard Y's Fire Blast and healed the burns quickly. With Mega Venusaur around the super cool Executive Petrel cannot be taken down.

For Carrie. For Giovanni. For Team Rocket. For Kanto.

He will not fail because he is the super cool Petrel.

"I WILL PROTECT KANTO'S FUTURE! NOTHING CAN STOP ME BECAUSE I'M SUPER COOL LIKE THAT! I WILL DEFEAT YOU, FLINT, **_BECAUSE I CAN!_**"

Mega Venusaur unleashed another powerful Venoshock that affected Flint's entire team. His other poison types weren't idle either. At this stage, it's just a matter of whether Flint can burn him down faster or his poison can run its course quicker.

_Watch well, Carrie! Papa's going to show you just how powerful a true Poison Specialist can be!_

Muk had finished accumulating the required amount of sludge and upon his command, belched it all out in the form of Sludge Wave. As expected, Flint's fire types moved to burn it down. If Flint took the time to take a good whiff, he might realise that something's not quite right with this brand of sludge.

**"DIE!"**

Like a bomb, the extremely flammable sludge that was released by muk violently exploded into a gigantic fireball upon contact with Flint's fire. The force of the explosion alone is enough to rip anyone into shreds and kick up a large cloud of dust and smoke that could be seen even from the air. Even then, Petrel knows better than to underestimate Flint. There's no way that killed him. This is an Elite Four he is facing.

"Nidoking, sink the earth! Everyone, Gunk Shot! Cave them in! Drown them in poison! Don't let them breathe in a smidgen of fresh air!"

The earth around where Flint and his pokemon were at was dropped to create a large hole. Solid poison in the form of Gunk Shots rained like artillery fire and filled the massive hole up. A massive rock created from nidoking's Rock Tomb sealed the hole shut, burying Flint in there forever.

Petrel waited for half a minute. Half a minute turned into a minute. A minute turned into two and he knew that Flint's never getting out of there. Nobody can hold their breath for that long.

_See that, Carrie? Your papa won! Your papa beat an Elite Four! Super cool, right?!_

Petrel let out a sigh of relief. It was a close battle. There is a set amount of sludge and poison every poison type can use in a single day and all of his pokemon had definitely hit the limit in this battle with Flint. Should the battle draw out for even longer, then he will be at a severe disadvantage if his poison types no longer have any poison to use. This was why he adopted such an aggressive tactic the moment escape wasn't an option. He needs to end the battle before the sludge levels in his pokemon reach rock bottom.

"Let's go. We need to find the Boss and tell him that we might need a change of plans. Something doesn't seem to be right with how Volkner, Elesa, and now _Flint _are actively helping the Indigo in such an organised manner."

He turned around to leave as the effects of Mega Evolution receded from his venusaur. Any longer and the harmful side effects of Mega Evolution will start to kick in so it's best to cancel it out now. He doesn't want his pokemon friend to overheat and get fried through overusing this mysterious power. This battle had been very destructive and he wouldn't be surprised if the aftermath can be spotted all the way from Mahogany. He needs to quickly make his escape before even _more _problematic trainers get drawn to the commotion and appear before him.

The unfamiliar sound of a click from below sent a wave of dread permeating his body as he looked downwards. A small speck of red could be seen beneath his boots, hidden beneath the dirt.

This is no dirt ground they are stepping on. This… This is the shell of Flint's turtonator! How did that stupid turtonator get beneath them without them kno-

"SHELL TRAP!"

The next thing he knew, he and his team were blasted sky high and screaming in pain.

His entire team were all rendered temporarily defenceless from the unexpected counterattack thanks to Shell Trap. Torrents of flames of different shades and colours burst out from underground from different angles and collapsed on his team immediately. An infernape burst out from underground and leapt into the air before latching onto his venusaur. That fire monkey put its flaming fist inside venusaur's mouth and started to burn his partner from the inside out with an overpowered Fire Punch.

"VENUSAUR!"

From the corner of his eye, Petrel spotted Flint emerging from the hole infernape had dug with his Charizard Y and threw several pokeballs into the air, releasing the rest of his fire types once more into battle.

_Flint! That crafty bastard! He must have recalled most of his pokemon even before the explosion from the ignition of muk's Sludge Wave could take them out! And then Dig! Flint must have escaped using Infernape's Dig and used that time when he was waiting it out to plant a trap with turtonator's Shell Trap!_

Flint's magmortar flew into the air by releasing a steady stream of hot flames from its cannon arms to propel itself into the air, charging towards them. Flint's fire types started to emerge from the ground one after the other where they fired their sneak attacks from and started to enact their plan.

"BURN THEM DOWN! BLAST BURN! INFERNO! FIRE BLAST! OVERHEAT!"

Petrel screamed in pain from the blast of flames exploding into a fiery inferno so near to him. A cool sensation enveloped him and shielded him from the worst of it. When he finally landed on the ground, he spotted his tentacruel lying limply next to him and with most of its tentacles burnt off. His friend must have used its body to block the worst of the flames from burning his body.

With much effort, Petrel turned his head to look around. He didn't fight back the urge to let his tears out when he saw the burnt corpses of his trusty partners that had stuck with him through thick and thin throughout all these years. Tentacruel is the only one left but it's obvious it's about to draw its last breath as well.

"Give… up…"

Petrel spotted a panting Flint and his fire types surrounding him. The poison is still working its course in Flint's fire types and it definitely took a toll on them, but his poison still did not work fast enough. His experienced eyes told him that they will live. From this alone, Petrel knew that he had truly lost this battle even if it was also obvious he had pushed Flint to his limit too.

Mega Evolution has a time limit if you don't want the side effects to kick in. Flint must have purposely chosen to mega evolve his charizard much later than his venusaur to ensure that his charizard will outlast the mega evolution process way longer than his venusaur. That really was a mistake on his part. Without his venusaur being a Mega Venusaur, he no longer has any defences to use against Flint's flames. Flint obviously recognised this so he waited until the time limit of Mega Evolution was up for venusaur by hiding underground, right when he was so sure that he had gotten Flint too.

Crafty bastard. Got to admit that was a super cool strategy though.

Petrel's eyes wandered and he finally spotted the extent of his injuries. His hands are a scarred mess and so are his legs. In fact, he's surprised that his legs are still attached to his body after that Shell Trap.

Petrel fought to stand but found that he could not. He settled for kneeling straight and tall. He is Executive Petrel, the Toxic Mask and the infiltrator of Team Rocket. He will not die with his back lying on the ground. He has his own pride as well. He needs to be super cool for Carrie's sake.

He did manage to get his words out despite the injuries he suffered. It is the last gift he could give to the person who reminded him of his beloved sunshine.

"She's... the coolest... Ranger I ever saw. Super… Cool. Tell that… to that girl for me, yeah? The Ranger just now."

He was supposed to help Giovanni see to the completion of Operation Skip. That won't be happening now. That's not much he can do now in his current state, the least he could do is to give some encouragement to the one girl that really reminded him of his little sunshine. The girl who fulfilled the dream his sunshine could not. The courageous girl that stood up against him despite knowing the impossible odds she faced. The girl who willingly stares in the face of death just to uphold her belief of peace.

She's a real Ranger through and through. A pity he wouldn't know her name.

Flint narrowed his eyes as he gave a hand gesture to his infernape, who is now walking up to apprehend him.

Not happening.

For a high profile terrorist like him, getting himself captured by the League is worse than a death sentence. He would rather die. Not only for the leader and friend that tried his best to save his daughter. Not only for their shared dream of a better Kanto where children can grow up healthy and happy. Not only for his friends and comrades. Not only to protect Team Rocket by ensuring that they would never know what he knew, but also to preserve the last of his dignity.

He gave his dying tentacruel a sideway glance, who knows what its next orders are. He gave his long time friend a small smile and a slight nod. With a swift stab, his tentacruel used a single tentacle to inject a lethal dose of toxin into his body at his neck.

"-it! Quick! Kill that tentacruel! Get the poison out of the Rocket's body! We need him alive!"

_Sorry, Boss. I tried. It's all up to you now. Please make Kanto a better place so that Kanto's children would never experience what Carrie did. _

_Sorry, Jacob, my dear friend. Operation Skip was your brainchild. It wouldn't have been possible without you and it really is a masterpiece. I'm sorry that I failed. I'm sorry that I wasn't able to execute it properly. I will apologise to you properly in the afterlife when we finally see each other again. Where I had failed, please succeed for our sakes._

_Sorry, Alice._

_Sorry, Arawn._

_Sorry, Olwen._

_Sorry, Silver._

_Sorry, everyone._

_I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. In the end, I could never help anyone. I'm always too slow._

Petrel closed his eyes and felt his body slowly falling back onto the ground. He tunes out whatever is going on around him as he lets a sense of peace fill him.

_Hey, Carrie?_

_Did you see that, sunshine?_

_Papa just went up against an Elite Four. Papa didn't win, but he sure gave him a super duper hard time and a battle to remember for a lifetime. See what a true Poison Specialist can really do even against insurmountable odds?_

_Sunshine? Papa also wants to say that he is sorry. Papa is so very very sorry._

_Papa is sorry that he cannot save you. Papa is sorry that he didn't win. Papa is sorry that he left you alone down there for so long. You must be lonely, right? Don't worry, papa's coming soon. Not just papa, the whole team is coming to greet you anytime now. We have all the time in the world now. You can hug skuntank for as long as you want. You can let venusaur swing you with his vines for as long as you want. I can continue to teach you about poison types for as long as you want. Super cool, right?_

_Hey, sunshine. Last question. _

_._

_._

_._

_Was papa super cool?_

_._

_._

_._

_Papa sure hopes he is. _

* * *

**AN: I teared up whenever I read Henrik's battle. I love this chapter so much and yet at the same time, hate it so much.**

**Here's hoping that I squeezed you guys dry of your tears. Brb still trying to find tissues after rereading this for the n-th time since god-knows-how-many months ago when it first came into existence on my laptop.**

**Character and pokemon list:**

**Name: Skye Bale, 16, Female**

**Affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Staff Sergeant**

**Code Name: Zephyr**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. Pidgeot (Crown), male**

**2\. Gliscor (Glide), male**

**3\. Skarmory (Dia), female**

**4\. Crobat (Beats), male**

**5\. Jumpluff (Cotton), female**

**6\. Dragonite (Tino), female**

**7\. Noivern (Echo), male**

**8\. Emolga, (Emi), female**

**9\. Hawlucha (Hawk), male**

**10\. Sigilyph (Cosmo), female**

**11\. Aerodactyl (Aria), female**

**12\. Masquerain (Heli), male**


	22. Chapter 22- Third Encounter

I'm so lucky that Flint arrived in time to take over my battle.

_Executive_. Now that made so much sense. That Rocket was a fucking _Executive_. Within Team Rocket these people are just one rank lower than Giovanni himself. They are rumoured to be at least Pillar level in strength.

I'm lucky to be alive. He was obviously toying with me the entire time. I'm just really lucky to be alive.

Emi, Hawk, Aria, Cotton, Beats are already out of the count thanks to our battle with that Rocket Executive earlier. This makes things a lot harder if our mission is to continue. That said, I'm still hoping that someone from my squadron is able to pick up on my signal. I'm heading back towards Blackthorn on Tino's back and hopefully I will be able to reconnect with my squadron the moment we are in range.

"Zephyr to Black, Zephyr to Black, do you guys copy?"

I repeated the same message over and over again to no avail. I was about to give up when the sound of buzzing static rang out through my comms.

"This- _bzzt- _mator. We heard you loud and clear, Zephyr. Please- _bzzt- _in."

Finally.

"Zephyr to Black. I had found the origin of the gas cloud at Route 44! Executive Petrel of Team Rocket is at Route 44 and Flint has engaged him in battle! I repeat! Executive Petrel of Team Rocket is at Route 44 and Flint has engaged him in battle!"

"Cremator to Zephyr! Roger that! We will send reinforcements his way! You are to report back to Blackthorn, do you copy?"

"This is Zephyr, copy that!"

"Stay safe. Cremator over and out."

Our flight back to Blackthorn was tense but otherwise uneventful. By the time I had reached back everything seems to have settled down. Large amount of wreckage could be seen at the south of the city and bodies lined the streets. Most of them are men in black with that crimson R printed on it.

Somehow, a part of me couldn't believe it. _We won_. Blackthorn remains standing.

"This is Venom. Zephyr, we have a visual of you. At your ten o' clock, do you see us?"

I swerved my head downwards to my ten o'clock direction, spotting my squad mates waving at me from the ground below.

"Skye! You are alright!" Amy ran up to me the moment Tino and I landed and began to fuss over me. The idea of me facing a Rocket Executive must have given her a scare.

"I'm fine." I replied, although there's no hiding the fatigue in my voice. I'm sure it isn't just me. My entire squadron must be feeling the fatigue by now, both physically and mentally.

"Sitrep. I want to know all of your current conditions." Pyral commanded and we all straightened our backs immediately.

"This is Venom. My pokemon and I are all fine. I am able to continue, sir!"

"This is Torrent. I am fine, but my dewgong and kingdra are low on water reserves. It might be best to count them out for subsequent deployments. Other than that, I am also able to continue, sir!"

"This is Nightmare. Pangoro, shiftry, and weavile are unable to continue. Other than that, I am more than fucking to roll, sir!"

"This is Powergirl. Like Venom, my pokemon and I are all fine, although blissey and miltank are starting to reach their limit in conducting healing procedures out on the field. We should keep that in mind for subsequent deployments today. I am also able to continue, sir!"

"This is Zephyr. My emolga, hawlucha, aerodactyl, jumpluff, and crobat are out of the count. The rest of my team are starting to feel physical fatigue. Out of the remaining seven, only four are physically capable to do transportation work. Requesting permission to be relegated to the backlines, sir!"

This is for the best. To be a trainer is to know your pokemon's limits and recognise when they had reached their limits. My team had been heavily relied on for transportation duties ever since the start of this shitfest, especially Tino. We will slip up sooner or later if we continue to push ourselves like this.

"Heal up your remaining pokemon as much as you can. Zephyr, I'm afraid there's no such thing as a backline now. Everywhere is the frontlines. I will try to avoid pushing your flying types too far but do not count on it. You will have to make do with the situation."

"I understand."

We took the opportunity from this brief period of peace to heal up our remaining pokemon with potions. We could get our fainted pokemon back to fighting condition through revives, but that is not recommended because it is not healthy for the pokemon in the long run. Revives are only used when the fainted pokemon suffered minimal injuries or in an emergency where there's no other choice but to continue to fight. It is not a medicine to be used lightly.

"Pyral, am I right?"

Our heads turned towards the source of the voice and my eyes widened when I recognised just who it was that had approached us.

The previous Indigo Champion, Professor Samuel Oak.

"He's the reason why everything ended before you came back." Amy whispered into my ear as Professor Oak and Pyral moved to a corner in order to have their private conversation.

"You should have seen that old man go. He's fucking crazy." Adam muttered from where he is standing behind us.

"Glad that someone like him is on our side." Rufus shrugged. "I saw how his blastoise put out the fire. It's amazing."

"Back in the days he's known as the Undefeated Oak. He never lost a single battle from when he first became Champion till the day he stepped down." Jacky helpfully informed us as he continued to administer a hyper potion to his pokemon.

We continue to try and heal our remaining pokemon as much as we could while Pyral and Professor Oak continue to have their conversation, until they call for me.

"Skye, come here for a sec."

I quickly walked over when Pyral beckoned for me to come over.

"Can your dragonite still make long distance flight?"

"As long as it is within Johto, yes, sir."

"Good. Professor Oak needs a lift to Violet City ASAP. You bring him there with your dragonite immediately."

I blinked my eyes at Pyral, then at Professor Oak.

"My alakazam had worn itself out a little teleporting me to several cities within the hour. There's a big threat that I have to deal with personally and I prefer if my pokemon are at full strength when the battle starts. I had heard that the Black Squadron has a trainer within its ranks that possesses a very well-trained dragonite which specialises in transportation. This is why I came looking for you."

"R-Right." I stuttered even if I don't know why. I quickly led him to where my pokemon were waiting for me and after recalling everyone back into their pokeballs except for Tino, helped the aged professor up on Tino's back.

"According to the reports, the situation at Olivine is about to escalate to a Level 10. Our next mission will be at Olivine. We will meet you there." Pyral told me before Tino took off.

"Don't keep me waiting!" I shot back just as Tino flapped her wings and shot off into the air. Heh, at the speed Tino is flying I might reach Olivine even before they do.

"You are very confident when it comes to your dragonite's speed." Professor Oak commented lightheartedly as Tino flew us through the air. She knows the way back to Violet City, my hometown. We will reach there within minutes.

"I don't want to boast, but I trained her myself."

Professor Oak let out a laugh from where he sits himself behind me.

"It's not a boast if you can back it up. The reason why I asked for your help out of the many trainers present is because you are indeed known for your speed in the air."

"Who recommended you to me?" I cannot help but ask, turning my head back a little to look at the renowned professor.

"Will you be surprised if I say that person is Volkner of Sunyshore?"

To be perfectly honest, no. _Of course_ it has to be that irritating man. Why else would I catch _Professor Oak's_ eye?

However, to the public, I am not supposed to know him on a personal level.

"Is that so? Huh? Why would he know about me?" I feigned surprise before checking the landscape below us once more. We are about to reach Violet City soon.

"Where exactly do you want me to drop you off, Professor?"

"Give me a moment." Professor Oak replied as he fished his pokegear out of his pocket. "Umm, it should be somewhere there. Where Violet City's nearest entrance to the Dark Cave is."

"Oh, that place." I replied absentmindedly as I recalled where the exact spot is. I've been there a few times before although I don't recall that area having anything of note. Never liked caves all that much.

We flew lower and lower towards the ground. We were both surprised when we saw how the entire area around the entrance to the Dark Cave had been utterly wrecked, like the earth had been upturned completely over and over again.

My breath hitched when I recognised the people below. One of them is a public figure. It is Giovanni, the Gym Leader of Viridian and the true leader of Team Rocket.

No wonder Professor Oak said that he had to personally make his way to neutralise the threat. Giovanni was an Elite Four before he stepped down to be Viridian's Gym Leader. He is the strongest Gym Leader of Kanto, and that kind of title is not given out for show.

"I know this will come as a surprise to you, Skye, but Giovanni is no ally of ours. He's with the Rockets, remember that."

I gulped nervously, but nodded anyway. I knew that a long time ago due to my foreknowledge. No, what I'm nervous about is a different thing entirely.

The other person which I recognised is being held a short distance up in the air through the impalement of thin rock spikes stabbing through his body and holding him up like some sort of skewered meat. It's a fucking wonder that he is still alive and breathing but that's not all.

_I recognise him. _

Even without that breton cap and the Rocket uniform there's no way I will ever forget about him. He's the Rocket that had nearly killed me twice now. Vel had told me that this person is known as Executive Plague, one of the most dangerous individuals within Team Rocket.

And there he is, skewered by Giovanni. His dark types lay around him, bleeding out on the ground, and I have so many questions in my mind.

Who is he? Giovanni had obviously just battled this Plague guy right before we arrived. Isn't Plague a Rocket? In that case, why did they battle? Whatever had happened here was obviously more than just the normal spar or rules-regulated battles. They had both obviously just taken part in a life-and-death battle. Aren't they on the same side?

I had so many questions that I don't even know where to start asking.

Giovanni and his team of ground types had spotted us by now. From what I can see, Plague had done a number on Giovanni as well. The most obvious sign would be how Giovanni's hippowdon is bleeding profusely where its right eye is supposed to be at and the charred corpses of a nidoking and a nidoqueen. That alone is a testament to Plague's strength as a trainer.

_"Giovanni."_

Professor Oak spat out Giovanni's name the moment we landed. The emotions that are packed into that one word is so overwhelming and complicated that a third party like me cannot help but hold my breath.

"Samuel."

Giovanni didn't seem to be really surprised at Professor Oak's appearance. If anything, it's like he's been expecting him. The two trainers continue to stare at each other in silence for a few seconds before Professor Oak breaks it.

"Skye, please extract that young man out of here for emergency treatment as soon as you can."

By now, I had taken a clear look at the young man in question. At this distance, there's no way I could mistake him for anyone else. He is indeed the person who nearly killed me twice.

"But Professor! I _know _that man! _He's a **Rocket**!_ A really dangerous one! We faced each other on more than one occasion!"

Giovanni grinned.

"She's right. He's one of my most capable subordinates. Samuel, meet Executive Plague, the Rocket's Exterminator. The attack on Johto National Park? That was his doing."

My eyes widened. It _really _is him. Even Giovanni confirmed it.

"You said _your subordinate_, and your response is to stab him like that?! The you of before _wouldn't _have done something like this! You have changed, Giovanni!" Professor Oak spoke angrily, his face twisting in response to his anger.

"Time changes people, Samuel. You of all people should know this." Giovanni sighed as he took another look at the fallen Rocket. "He's just lost his direction, and he pushed me far enough such that there was no other way to stop him. I planned to have him rejoin Team Rocket as one of the organisation's leaders after he made a full recovery."

What? This doesn't make any damn _sense_.

And if I had thought that what Giovanni said previously didn't make any sense, what he said after that had me totally shocked and lost at the same time.

"I still have no idea _exactly _what he had done behind my back all this while, but be thankful to this child, Samuel, for Indigo would definitely have fallen by now if it wasn't for him. Do you know that he had been a _double agent_ all along? Even with the kind of life he led, his loyalty had always been to Indigo. He has been working for Team Rocket for more than a decade and it was only today that I found out that he's the one responsible for single handedly hampering whatever we had planned. Violet City would have been under Team Rocket's control by now if it wasn't for him locating me and then stalling for time through facing me in a suicidal battle, knowing all along that he will pay the price with his life. Oh how we had _failed_, Samuel, that a _child _like him was forced to pick up after our messes, because we _adults _had **_failed_**."

… What? Double agent? Stalling Giovanni long enough for us to arrive?

Just… _what?_

The edge of my vision caught a flicker of movement. Giovanni's pokemon launched an attack just as Professor Oak reached for his pokeballs. The earth around us exploded as Tino tried to shield me from harm although it is not needed.

Right in front of us is Professor Oak and his team of pokemon. The very aura they are emanating is so suffocating yet assuring, like there's no way evil can ever prevail as long as they are around.

So this is Indigo's Undefeated Oak.

Professor Oak then shouted at me, bringing me out of my daze.

"**Skye!** It doesn't matter if that young man is a Rocket or not! _You are a Ranger!_ Saving lives is your duty! I cannot fight at full power here with him like this and his fainted pokemon lying around! Please!"

"I-I got it!" I replied as I began to move, my hands reaching for the pokeballs that held the rest of my team that could still help out.

"I won't let you take him away! Garchomp, Earthquake!"

I ignored whatever is happening next, placing my trust in the professor that he will defend me from harm until I am done extracting Plague and his pokemon out of the battlefield. I ran up to where Plague is, still skewered and held up by those long and thin nasty rock spikes. I actually took a pause when I finally reached him because I have no idea on what I should really do to get him out of there.

Nevertheless, spacing out is definitely not the answer.

"Glide, Dia, try to gently cut the rock spikes down to size. Leave it stabbed in his body or else he would bleed out. Try not to use too much force when doing the cutting, it may shift the spikes and cause it to hit his vital organs. We don't want to worsen his injuries."

I tried my best to hold Plague in place while Glide and Dia got to work. With the sharpness provided by Metal Claw and Steel Wing, we succeeded in cutting Plague away from those rock spikes. As to how to safely remove the rock spikes from his body without him bleeding out, that will be a problem for whatever surgeons that will operate on him later.

Cosmo had very helpfully used her psychic powers to search the Rocket's pockets for his pokeballs, which I quickly used to recall all of his pokemon. Or at least, I believed I had recalled those that I see around me. I have no idea just how many pokemon Plague has so I cannot say for sure. I will have to judge based on the number of empty pokeballs he has on him.

"Don't let her leave with Jayce! Rock Slide!"

"You should be focusing your attention on me! Hydro Cannon! Frenzy Plant!"

Another explosion of power occurred and this time, it is too close to us for comfort. I quickly carried the unconscious man with the help of my pokemon. Together, we loaded the Rocket onto Tino's back, making sure to not shift the rock spikes stabbed into him as much as we can.

"Alright, go!"

Professor Oak is doing a good job in holding Giovanni back while protecting me. He is starting to pick up the pace now that we have taken off into the air. It's like he said. He can only go all out the moment he has no need to worry about friendly fire.

_'Mistress! Watch out!'_

Cosmo's warning came too late and our reactions were too slow. An alakazam had teleported right in front of me and knocked me off Tino's back, forcing my pokemon to come to my rescue. Crown caught me with his talons as Heli and Glide swooped in to meet the alakazam in combat.

However, we were still too slow. The alakazam teleported away even before we could reach it. It also brought Plague away with it.

"Fuck!" I cannot help but curse at my inability to do the _one job_ that I am supposed to do. I cannot even protect one single person that I was tasked to save, even if I never liked that guy.

I am fucking _useless_.

"Skye, forget it!" Professor Oak shouted at me while still doing battle with Giovanni, stopping me from trying to track and pursue that alakazam. "Just leave this to me! Go to places where you are needed! I have this handled!"

I gritted my teeth in frustration. I know the professor is right, but the taste that is left in my mouth sucks.

"Roger! Win, Professor!"

Leaving him with those parting words, I got onto Tino's back again as we began to make our way to Olivine. Pyral had said that the situation at Olivine is about to escalate to a Level 10 and while I have no freaking clue about just _what _escalated the situation to a Level 10, it couldn't be anything good.

There's nothing that I can really do other than pressing on and continuing to fly_ and fly and fly_ round and round to save as many as I can. Now that I have some time to recollect myself, is Violet City alright? What about Falkner and Ciel? Falkner has to be involved in the city's defense as a Gym Leader. I know he's strong, but is he fine? Will he be alright? And Ciel? Did he reach the shelter in time? Is he safe? Is he injured?

I don't know, and I won't know until this is all over. I can only pray for them and hope that they are safe. I already lost my parents. I don't want to lose my brothers too.

They are all that I have left.

* * *

**Character and pokemon list:**

**Name: Skye Bale, 16, Female**

**Affiliation: Indigo Ranger Force, Johto Region, 1****st**** Ranger Regiment**

**Rank: Staff Sergeant**

**Code Name: Zephyr**

**Pokemon Team:**

**1\. Pidgeot (Crown), male**

**2\. Gliscor (Glide), male**

**3\. Skarmory (Dia), female**

**4\. Crobat (Beats), male**

**5\. Jumpluff (Cotton), female**

**6\. Dragonite (Tino), female**

**7\. Noivern (Echo), male**

**8\. Emolga, (Emi), female**

**9\. Hawlucha (Hawk), male**

**10\. Sigilyph (Cosmo), female**

**11\. Aerodactyl (Aria), female**

**12\. Masquerain (Heli), male**


End file.
